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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 120 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. lie — to recline
  3. craft — boats
  4. press — to push
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. press — a publisher
  8. track — a path
  9. press — newspapers
  10. row — a line
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. track — to keep track
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. row — to paddle
  16. capital — a city
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. rock — music
  19. track — a song
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. rock — a stone
  24. craft — a skill

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