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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. squash — the sport
  6. file — a document
  7. ground — a position
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. current — electric
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. current — happening now
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. press — to push
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. press — newspapers
  17. squash — to crush
  18. current — of water
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. file — a line of people
  22. press — a publisher
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — the earth

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