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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mine · press · face · calf · roll · arm · board · firm

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. board — a committee
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. firm — steady
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. press — a publisher
  9. face — to confront
  10. roll — a list
  11. face — to point toward
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. firm — a company
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. firm — decided
  17. face — part of the head
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. roll — a cake
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. press — to push
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. press — newspapers

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