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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: band · fall · dip · face · ball · game · press · calf

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. game — a match
  3. press — to push
  4. press — a publisher
  5. face — to point toward
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. ball — a great time
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. dip — to sink
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — to drop
  13. face — to confront
  14. ball — a dance
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. game — wild animals
  17. band — a ring
  18. press — newspapers
  19. band — a music group
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. face — part of the head
  22. fall — the season
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. game — a kind of play

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