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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. press — newspapers
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. squash — the sport
  8. press — to push
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. squash — to crush
  12. wake — a trail
  13. press — a publisher
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. charge — a price
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. charge — in control
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — a stone
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. charge — electricity
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. rock — to move gently

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