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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. press — a publisher
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. content — happy
  5. press — newspapers
  6. content — the amount
  7. fine — all right
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. bore — to drill
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. season — in sport
  14. drill — a practice
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. press — to push
  17. fine — high quality
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. drill — the tool
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. drill — army training
  22. bore — to tire
  23. pitch — completely
  24. season — of the year

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