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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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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. stand — to bear
  11. fork — in a road
  12. press — to push
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. march — music
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. spell — a short time
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. press — a publisher
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — magic

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