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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. pit — in a race
  3. press — to push
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. root — of a plant
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. root — the cause
  8. squash — to crush
  9. press — a publisher
  10. pit — a hole
  11. hand — in cards
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. squash — the sport
  16. root — of a word
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bear — the animal
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bat — in an idiom

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