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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 120 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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. tube — the underground
  3. march — music
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. press — newspapers
  7. file — a line of people
  8. tube — a container
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. press — to push
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. file — a document
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. file — a tool
  17. wake — a trail
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. march — the month
  20. chair — a leader
  21. press — a publisher
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. march — the month
  24. wake — before a funeral

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