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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. row — a line
  4. track — a song
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — money
  7. mug — a face
  8. track — to keep track
  9. press — to push
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mug — to rob
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. press — a publisher
  16. track — a path
  17. row — to paddle
  18. press — newspapers
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. wake — a trail
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. row — a quarrel

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