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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. swing — to play on
  3. deal — to handle
  4. swing — in golf
  5. press — a publisher
  6. roll — a cake
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. swing — music
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. net — in sport
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — after costs
  15. press — newspapers
  16. sharp — clever
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. roll — a list
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bound — tied together
  21. press — to push
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — certain

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