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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
468
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: press · bowl · calf · saw · kick · lean · content · game

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. kick — in football
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — a match
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. lean — to bend
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. content — the amount
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. lean — thin
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. press — newspapers
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. content — happy
  20. game — wild animals
  21. press — to push
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. press — a publisher

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