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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — for catching
  4. press — newspapers
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. spell — letters
  7. track — a path
  8. bound — obliged
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bound — certain
  12. chip — for betting
  13. bound — tied together
  14. spell — magic
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. spell — a short time
  18. track — a song
  19. chip — to eat
  20. net — after costs
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. press — to push
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. track — to keep track

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