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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. cell — in biology
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. cell — a phone
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. ground — crushed
  9. game — a match
  10. wound — an injury
  11. ground — a position
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — in music
  15. press — newspapers
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. game — wild animals
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. ground — the earth
  23. wound — an injury
  24. press — to push

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