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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. kid — to tease
  4. last — to go on
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. mark — a grade
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. cap — of ice
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — to push
  13. last — finally
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. mark — a trace
  17. cap — a lid
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. press — a publisher
  20. last — final
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. chair — a leader
  23. cap — a hat
  24. kid — child

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