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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: rash · stick · straw · calf · cue · face · press · toast

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. rash — hasty
  4. cue — a hint
  5. press — a publisher
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. face — to point toward
  9. toast — bread
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. cue — for pool
  12. face — part of the head
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. cue — a signal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. face — to confront
  21. press — to push
  22. rash — a series
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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