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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. press — a publisher
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. press — newspapers
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. club — for dancing
  9. kid — to tease
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. kid — child
  15. club — for golf
  16. press — to push
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. file — a tool
  19. club — a group
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. file — a line of people
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. pit — a hole
  24. file — a document

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