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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. face — part of the head
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. staff — employees
  7. face — to confront
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. row — a line
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. press — to push
  13. row — to paddle
  14. branch — a division
  15. face — to point toward
  16. staff — employees
  17. rule — a law
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. staff — a stick
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. press — newspapers
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. press — a publisher

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