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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. cap — a lid
  7. press — a publisher
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. press — to push
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. cap — of ice
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. mate — a partner
  15. sharp — clever
  16. mate — to breed
  17. press — newspapers
  18. cap — a hat

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