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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. wound — an injury
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. press — to push
  5. press — a publisher
  6. pit — in a race
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. club — a group
  9. last — finally
  10. charge — in control
  11. last — final
  12. pit — a hole
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. charge — electricity
  16. present — there
  17. press — newspapers
  18. present — a gift
  19. present — the time now
  20. wound — an injury
  21. last — to go on
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. charge — a price
  24. club — for dancing

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