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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  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. calf — a young animal
  2. press — to push
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. bore — to drill
  5. net — after costs
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. club — a group
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. club — for golf
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bat — the animal
  17. net — for catching
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bore — to tire
  22. club — for dancing
  23. net — in sport
  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