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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 116 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. pop — to visit
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — not warm
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. press — newspapers
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. pop — soda
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pop — music
  13. kick — in football
  14. rush — hurry
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. press — a publisher
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. saw — the tool
  23. press — to push
  24. rush — to hurry

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