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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bat — the animal
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. wake — a trail
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. press — newspapers
  7. mate — a partner
  8. spell — magic
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. press — a publisher
  13. spell — a short time
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. press — to push
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. chair — a leader
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. mate — a friend
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. mate — to breed

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