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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. clip — for paper
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. press — to push
  8. mate — a partner
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. press — newspapers
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. press — a publisher
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — to breed
  15. clip — a video
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — size or range
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. clip — to cut
  22. chair — a leader
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. scale — for weighing

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