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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. last — to go on
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. swing — to play on
  6. content — happy
  7. press — newspapers
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. press — a publisher
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. content — the amount
  12. press — to push
  13. chair — a leader
  14. last — finally
  15. cue — a hint
  16. swing — in golf
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. last — final
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. swing — music
  22. cue — for pool
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. cue — a signal

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