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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. cap — a lid
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. tear — to rip
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. press — a publisher
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. tear — from crying
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cold — an illness
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. press — to push
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. kick — in football
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cap — of ice
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. cap — a hat

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