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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mate — to breed
  6. press — newspapers
  7. rest — a break
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — wild animals
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bore — to drill
  13. cue — a signal
  14. bark — to shout
  15. game — a match
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. mate — a friend
  20. cue — for pool
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. mate — a partner
  24. cue — a hint

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