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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. net — in sport
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. press — newspapers
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. net — after costs
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. roll — a cake
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. roll — a list
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — a match
  14. rock — music
  15. net — for catching
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. season — of the year
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. game — wild animals
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. press — to push
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. rock — a stone
  24. press — a publisher

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