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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: pit · press · snap · straw · fine · lean · charge · calf

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. charge — a price
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. lean — thin
  6. charge — electricity
  7. press — newspapers
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. pit — in a race
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. pit — a hole
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. press — to push
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. snap — to click
  17. charge — in control
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — high quality
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. press — a publisher

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