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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. mark — a grade
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. cap — a hat
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. press — a publisher
  10. mark — a trace
  11. capital — a city
  12. spring — of water
  13. press — newspapers
  14. cap — a lid
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. cap — of ice
  18. capital — money
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. spring — the season
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. spring — a coil

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