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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cell — in biology
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitch — completely
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. lean — thin
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. press — a publisher
  14. lean — to bend
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. press — newspapers
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. scale — in music
  21. cell — a phone
  22. press — to push
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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