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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — a publisher
  3. cold — an illness
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. can — a tin
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. can — to be able to
  13. lean — to bend
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. can — a tin
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. press — newspapers
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. mine — for digging
  24. lean — thin

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