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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 116 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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. kid — child
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. hand — help
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. chair — a leader
  10. press — to push
  11. staff — employees
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. kid — to tease
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. hand — in cards
  18. fine — high quality
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. staff — employees
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. press — a publisher
  23. staff — a stick
  24. fine — all right

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