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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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Word bank
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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: rash · last · press · march · bat · bound · calf · hide

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. bat — the animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. last — finally
  6. march — the month
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bound — tied together
  10. last — final
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — certain
  14. press — a publisher
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. last — to go on
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. march — music
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. march — the month
  23. press — to push
  24. rash — hasty

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