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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.

Make a worksheet

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: game · calf · content · press · land · fork · stand · rash

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rash — hasty
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. land — to come down
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. fork — in a road
  10. rash — a series
  11. game — wild animals
  12. land — ground
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. press — newspapers
  15. game — a match
  16. stand — to bear
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. land — a country
  20. press — a publisher
  21. press — to push
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — happy

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