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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: toast · press · fall · calf · row · racket

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. press — to push
  3. row — a line
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. row — to paddle
  9. fall — to drop
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. fall — to drop
  15. toast — bread
  16. fall — the season
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. press — newspapers

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