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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. press — to push
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. scale — in music
  5. cap — a hat
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. mine — for digging
  8. cap — a lid
  9. court — of law
  10. key — the most important part
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. plane — a tool
  13. court — of a king
  14. press — a publisher
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. key — for a lock
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. court — for sport
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. cap — of ice
  23. key — in music
  24. press — newspapers

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