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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 116 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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. file — a document
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. capital — a city
  8. file — a line of people
  9. root — of a word
  10. kick — in football
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. face — to point toward
  15. press — a publisher
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — part of the head
  19. root — of a plant
  20. capital — money
  21. file — a tool
  22. root — the cause
  23. press — to push
  24. calf — of the leg

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