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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. game — wild animals
  5. file — a document
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. craft — boats
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. press — newspapers
  13. file — a line of people
  14. toast — bread
  15. game — a match
  16. file — a tool
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — the animal
  21. press — to push
  22. craft — a skill
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. press — a publisher

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