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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. last — finally
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. mug — a cup
  5. press — a publisher
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. root — the cause
  8. mug — a face
  9. kid — child
  10. saw — the tool
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. press — newspapers
  13. last — final
  14. root — of a word
  15. press — to push
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. last — to go on
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. root — of a plant
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. mug — to rob
  24. kid — to tease

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