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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. shower — to wash
  3. kid — child
  4. land — to come down
  5. press — a publisher
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cell — in biology
  10. press — to push
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. land — ground
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. toast — bread
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. sharp — clever
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. kid — to tease
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. shower — rain
  24. land — a country

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