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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. rash — a series
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bear — the animal
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. mine — for digging
  11. lie — to recline
  12. rash — hasty
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. press — newspapers
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. press — to push
  18. wound — an injury
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. bear — the animal

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