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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hand — help
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. swing — in golf
  6. swing — music
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. band — a music group
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. press — to push
  12. fine — high quality
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. band — a ring
  16. hand — in cards
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. press — newspapers
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. fine — all right
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. press — a publisher
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. swing — to play on

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