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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — all right
  3. rule — government
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. press — to push
  11. press — a publisher
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. press — newspapers
  14. kick — in football
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. fine — high quality

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