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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 120 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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. land — a country
  6. press — newspapers
  7. foot — a measure
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. land — to come down
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. land — ground
  13. march — music
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. degree — temperature
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. chest — a box
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. press — to push
  21. degree — an amount
  22. press — a publisher
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. degree — from a university

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