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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 120 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. press — a publisher
  5. can — a tin
  6. last — finally
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. last — final
  9. hand — in cards
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. press — to push
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bank — for money
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. press — newspapers
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. vault — a safe
  22. can — a tin
  23. last — to go on
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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