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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. press — newspapers
  5. track — to keep track
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. mine — for digging
  8. rash — hasty
  9. press — a publisher
  10. rest — what's left
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. track — a song
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. press — to push
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. rest — what's left
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. track — a path
  21. deal — to handle
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rest — a break
  24. calf — a young animal

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