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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. press — a publisher
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bore — to tire
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. can — a tin
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. land — ground
  9. press — newspapers
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. press — to push
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. land — to come down
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. net — after costs
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. land — a country
  23. net — for catching
  24. foot — a measure

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