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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.

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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: ball · clip · board · deal · press · content · rest · calf

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rest — a break
  3. ball — a dance
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. press — a publisher
  6. board — a committee
  7. ball — a great time
  8. clip — to cut
  9. press — newspapers
  10. content — happy
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. rest — what's left
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. rest — what's left
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — for paper
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. press — to push
  20. content — the amount
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. deal — to handle
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. board — to get on

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