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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. land — to come down
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — a publisher
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. press — to push
  10. field — farmland
  11. land — a country
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. mark — a trace
  15. land — ground
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. mark — a grade
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — a subject
  23. sharp — clever
  24. rest — what's left

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