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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. press — to push
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. kid — to tease
  5. pit — in a race
  6. charge — in control
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. key — the most important part
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. charge — electricity
  11. fine — high quality
  12. kid — child
  13. press — a publisher
  14. pit — a hole
  15. key — for a lock
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. press — newspapers
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. charge — a price
  22. chair — a leader
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. key — in music

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