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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: arm · chip · press · hand · stick · calf · bowl · cold

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. hand — help
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — not warm
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. press — a publisher
  18. chip — to eat
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. chip — for betting
  21. cold — an illness
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. press — to push
  24. bowl — a dish

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