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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  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. calf — a young animal
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — a country
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. land — ground
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — to push
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. clip — a video
  11. cold — not warm
  12. swing — music
  13. clip — for paper
  14. swing — to play on
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. clip — to cut
  17. cold — an illness
  18. swing — in golf
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. press — a publisher
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. calf — of the leg
  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