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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 120 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. tear — from crying
  3. net — in sport
  4. board — a committee
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. press — newspapers
  7. rock — music
  8. press — to push
  9. content — the amount
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pitch — completely
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — happy
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. press — a publisher
  18. tear — from crying
  19. rock — a stone
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. tear — to rip
  22. net — after costs
  23. board — to get on
  24. calf — a young animal

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