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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. last — to go on
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a city
  5. last — finally
  6. race — a contest
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. object — an aim
  9. fine — all right
  10. press — a publisher
  11. press — to push
  12. last — final
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. race — the arms race
  15. press — newspapers
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. stand — to bear
  18. object — to protest
  19. race — humankind
  20. object — a thing
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. fine — high quality
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. stand — for spectators

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