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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: press · calf · board · kid · stick · degree · jam · arm

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. press — to push
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. degree — from a university
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. board — to get on
  18. degree — an amount
  19. press — a publisher
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. degree — temperature
  23. press — newspapers
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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