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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. kid — to tease
  4. mine — for digging
  5. cue — a hint
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. press — to push
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. cue — for pool
  12. pit — a hole
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. cue — a signal
  17. press — a publisher
  18. pit — in a race
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. press — newspapers
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. fork — in a road
  24. kid — child

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