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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. firm — decided
  3. press — a publisher
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. firm — a company
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. staff — employees
  9. bass — the fish
  10. staff — employees
  11. pit — in a race
  12. march — music
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. march — the month
  17. press — to push
  18. firm — steady
  19. mine — for digging
  20. pit — a hole
  21. march — the month
  22. staff — a stick
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. press — newspapers

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