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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: chest · fall · nail · calf · season · press · racket · mark

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. chest — of your body
  3. press — a publisher
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. chest — a box
  8. mark — a grade
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. season — in sport
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. season — of the year
  14. press — newspapers
  15. fall — to drop
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. press — to push
  20. mark — a trace
  21. chest — of your body
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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