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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. roll — a cake
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. degree — temperature
  5. press — a publisher
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. land — a country
  8. staff — employees
  9. land — ground
  10. game — wild animals
  11. degree — an amount
  12. game — a match
  13. staff — a stick
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. press — to push
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. press — newspapers
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. degree — from a university
  23. land — to come down
  24. roll — a list

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