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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: calf · arm · squash · rest · fall · press · game · ground

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. ground — the earth
  3. press — a publisher
  4. squash — the sport
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — a position
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. fall — to drop
  11. squash — to crush
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. press — newspapers
  17. rest — a break
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. fall — to drop
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. press — to push
  23. fall — the season
  24. game — wild animals

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