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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. rock — music
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. vault — a safe
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. rock — a stone
  11. root — the cause
  12. swing — music
  13. press — newspapers
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. swing — to play on
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. swing — in golf
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. root — of a plant
  21. press — a publisher
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. root — of a word
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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