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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. fine — all right
  3. club — a group
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. club — for dancing
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. fine — high quality
  8. saw — the tool
  9. press — to push
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. net — after costs
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. press — a publisher
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. net — for catching
  16. press — newspapers
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. saw — the tool
  19. branch — a division
  20. net — in sport
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. club — for golf

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