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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. shower — to wash
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. press — a publisher
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. shower — rain
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. club — for dancing
  10. press — to push
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. club — for golf
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. press — newspapers
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the sport
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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