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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. hand — in cards
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. spell — letters
  7. hand — help
  8. spell — a short time
  9. press — to push
  10. field — a subject
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. cue — a hint
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. cue — for pool
  16. field — farmland
  17. sharp — clever
  18. field — for sport
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. cue — a signal
  21. press — a publisher
  22. spell — magic
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. wave — with your hand

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