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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. press — newspapers
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. field — a subject
  9. roll — a list
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. roll — a cake
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. chest — a box
  15. chest — of your body
  16. field — for sport
  17. chair — a leader
  18. field — farmland
  19. press — a publisher
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. press — to push
  22. foot — a measure
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. calf — a young animal

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