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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 120 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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. press — a publisher
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. net — for catching
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. net — in sport
  8. vault — a safe
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a leader
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. file — a tool
  16. club — for golf
  17. net — after costs
  18. club — for dancing
  19. press — newspapers
  20. file — a document
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. file — a line of people
  24. press — to push

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