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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. press — to push
  3. clip — to cut
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. rock — a stone
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. chip — for betting
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. press — a publisher
  12. clip — a video
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — for digging
  15. rock — music
  16. chip — to eat
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. press — newspapers
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. clip — for paper

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