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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: land · chest · drill · press · march · calf · deal · rock

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rock — a stone
  3. deal — to handle
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. land — a country
  6. press — to push
  7. chest — a box
  8. drill — army training
  9. press — a publisher
  10. land — to come down
  11. chest — of your body
  12. drill — a practice
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. march — the month
  16. rock — music
  17. march — the month
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. drill — the tool
  20. land — ground
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. march — music
  23. press — newspapers
  24. chest — of your body

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