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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bat — the animal
  9. cell — a phone
  10. press — newspapers
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. field — for sport
  14. press — a publisher
  15. club — a group
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. field — a subject
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. vault — a safe
  20. club — for dancing
  21. field — farmland
  22. cell — in biology
  23. press — to push
  24. mouse — the animal

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