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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. land — ground
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. press — to push
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. press — a publisher
  8. saw — the tool
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. land — to come down
  11. court — of a king
  12. land — a country
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. press — newspapers
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. court — for sport
  18. saw — the tool
  19. date — the fruit
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. court — of law
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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