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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. press — to push
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. press — a publisher
  6. cold — not warm
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wound — an injury
  15. lie — to recline
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — there
  18. present — the time now
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. dip — to sink
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. press — newspapers
  24. cold — an illness

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