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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 120 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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. mate — a partner
  3. clip — to cut
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — to push
  9. current — happening now
  10. clip — for paper
  11. foot — a measure
  12. current — electric
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. mate — to breed
  15. press — newspapers
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. capital — a city
  18. clip — a video
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. mate — a friend
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. current — of water

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