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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. face — to point toward
  4. chip — to eat
  5. face — to confront
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. press — newspapers
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. face — part of the head
  13. shower — rain
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. chip — for betting
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. press — to push
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. branch — a division
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. shower — to wash

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