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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. mate — a friend
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. chip — to eat
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. press — a publisher
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. press — newspapers
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — money
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. chip — for betting
  20. branch — a division
  21. mate — to breed
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. mate — a partner

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