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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. rock — a stone
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. last — to go on
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bound — tied together
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. cap — a hat
  10. track — a path
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. bound — obliged
  13. rock — music
  14. last — finally
  15. track — a song
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — newspapers
  18. last — final
  19. press — to push
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. bound — certain
  22. cap — a lid
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. track — to keep track

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