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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 120 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 had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. club — for golf
  3. object — an aim
  4. net — for catching
  5. club — a group
  6. press — a publisher
  7. club — for dancing
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. press — to push
  10. net — after costs
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. object — to protest
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. net — in sport
  17. press — newspapers
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rush — hurry
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. spring — a coil
  24. object — a thing

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