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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. game — a match
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. press — to push
  6. press — newspapers
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. lean — thin
  10. shower — to wash
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. press — a publisher
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. game — wild animals
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. foot — a measure
  23. shower — rain
  24. lean — to bend

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