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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. can — to be able to
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. ground — a position
  9. chest — of your body
  10. press — newspapers
  11. board — to get on
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. date — the fruit
  15. wound — an injury
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. press — to push
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. wound — an injury
  20. press — a publisher
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — crushed
  24. board — a committee

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