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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. press — a publisher
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a song
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. cold — not warm
  9. track — a path
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. fine — high quality
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. cold — an illness
  17. press — to push
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — to crush
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. press — newspapers

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