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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. press — a publisher
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. land — to come down
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. press — newspapers
  9. cell — a phone
  10. press — to push
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. land — a country
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. land — ground
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. cell — in biology
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. kick — in football
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bowl — a football final

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