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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. scale — in music
  3. fine — high quality
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. fine — all right
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. press — to push
  12. pit — a hole
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. march — music
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. dip — to sink
  17. march — the month
  18. scale — size or range
  19. march — the month
  20. press — newspapers
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. kick — in football
  24. pit — in a race

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