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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 116 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 · nail · trunk · press · rest · racket · game · last

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — wild animals
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. press — a publisher
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. last — finally
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. game — a match
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. press — newspapers
  12. last — to go on
  13. rest — what's left
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. last — final
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. rest — a break
  22. press — to push
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. rest — what's left

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