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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. mark — a grade
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. mark — a trace
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. press — newspapers
  7. game — wild animals
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. bark — to shout
  10. press — to push
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — not warm
  14. game — a match
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. press — a publisher
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. cabinet — ministers

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