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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. season — in sport
  8. sharp — clever
  9. chest — of your body
  10. wind — moving air
  11. press — a publisher
  12. spell — a short time
  13. chest — a box
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. spell — letters
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. press — to push
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. wind — moving air
  21. season — of the year
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. press — newspapers
  24. chest — of your body

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