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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. press — newspapers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. file — a line of people
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. file — a tool
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — to push
  13. file — a document
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. lie — to recline
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — in an idiom

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