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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. field — for sport
  3. rule — government
  4. press — a publisher
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. press — to push
  8. pit — in a race
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. lean — to bend
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. field — a subject
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. field — farmland
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. rule — a law
  19. kick — in football
  20. lean — thin
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pit — a hole
  23. press — newspapers
  24. pitcher — a jug

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com