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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — government
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. land — ground
  6. bear — the animal
  7. press — to push
  8. land — to come down
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. chest — a box
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. bear — the animal
  13. land — a country
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. press — newspapers
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. chest — of your body
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. press — a publisher
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — moving air

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