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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. present — a gift
  3. object — an aim
  4. object — to protest
  5. sharp — clever
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. drill — a practice
  10. object — a thing
  11. court — for sport
  12. present — there
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — to push
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. drill — army training
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. court — of a king
  21. drill — the tool
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. court — of law
  24. present — the time now

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