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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 120 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 · press · row · fine · sharp · mark · rest · kid

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. press — a publisher
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. kid — to tease
  5. mark — a grade
  6. row — a line
  7. press — to push
  8. sharp — clever
  9. rest — a break
  10. mark — a trace
  11. rest — what's left
  12. row — to paddle
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — all right
  15. kid — child
  16. rest — what's left
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. press — newspapers
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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