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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. press — to push
  4. can — to be able to
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. cell — in biology
  9. last — finally
  10. press — a publisher
  11. press — newspapers
  12. can — a tin
  13. pound — a weight
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. last — to go on
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. mark — a grade
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. can — a tin
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mark — a trace
  24. cell — a phone

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