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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. file — a document
  4. track — a path
  5. press — newspapers
  6. court — for sport
  7. swing — music
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. press — a publisher
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. track — to keep track
  12. file — a tool
  13. track — a song
  14. swing — in golf
  15. march — the month
  16. court — of a king
  17. cell — in biology
  18. file — a line of people
  19. cell — a phone
  20. court — of law
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. swing — to play on
  24. press — to push

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