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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. wound — an injury
  3. press — a publisher
  4. row — a line
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. row — to paddle
  11. present — the time now
  12. press — newspapers
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. rest — a break
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. present — a gift
  18. rash — a series
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. present — there
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bowl — a dish

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