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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: calf · chair · kick · bay · press · stick · coach · file

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. file — a tool
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. chair — a leader
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. press — to push
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. press — newspapers
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. kick — in football
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a document
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. kick — with a 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