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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 116 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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. object — to protest
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. press — newspapers
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — to push
  10. deal — to handle
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. land — a country
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. object — a thing
  16. land — ground
  17. land — to come down
  18. cell — a phone
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. sharp — clever
  22. object — an aim
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. cell — in biology

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