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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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 dancing
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. degree — temperature
  8. press — a publisher
  9. degree — an amount
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. club — a group
  14. press — newspapers
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. press — to push
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. fork — in a road
  19. degree — from a university
  20. club — for golf
  21. mine — for digging
  22. foot — a measure
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. calf — a young animal

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