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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 120 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. press — to push
  3. press — a publisher
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bear — the animal
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bear — the animal
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. capital — a city
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. press — newspapers
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. mine — for digging
  24. temple — side of the head

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