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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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. clip — a video
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. track — to keep track
  6. can — to be able to
  7. track — a song
  8. can — a tin
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. pitch — completely
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. track — a path
  14. wax — to grow
  15. clip — for paper
  16. press — to push
  17. can — a tin
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. clip — to cut
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. press — a publisher
  24. press — newspapers

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