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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. press — to push
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. shower — to wash
  5. fall — to drop
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. press — newspapers
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. fine — high quality
  11. fine — all right
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. fall — the season
  14. present — there
  15. present — the time now
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. present — a gift
  20. wake — a trail
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fall — to drop
  23. shower — rain
  24. nail — for a hammer

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