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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. press — a publisher
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. race — the arms race
  6. band — a ring
  7. field — for sport
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. chest — a box
  12. dip — to sink
  13. chest — of your body
  14. field — a subject
  15. band — a music group
  16. chest — of your body
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. field — farmland
  21. race — humankind
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. race — a contest
  24. press — to push

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