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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: ground · calf · last · press · spell · bat · lie · date

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. last — finally
  3. press — a publisher
  4. last — final
  5. spell — magic
  6. last — to go on
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. ground — the earth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. ground — a position
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — the fruit
  14. spell — letters
  15. bat — the animal
  16. spell — a short time
  17. lie — to recline
  18. ground — crushed
  19. press — to push
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. press — newspapers
  24. calf — a young animal

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