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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. mate — a friend
  5. rock — music
  6. press — a publisher
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. kid — child
  9. kick — in football
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bark — to shout
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mate — a partner
  14. rest — what's left
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. press — to push
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rest — a break
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kid — to tease
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. press — newspapers

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