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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. stock — shares
  6. clip — for paper
  7. fall — to drop
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — part of the head
  12. toast — bread
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. fall — to drop
  16. clip — a video
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. press — to push
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. face — to confront
  22. fall — the season
  23. clip — to cut
  24. press — newspapers

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