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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  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. season — of the year
  2. kid — child
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. press — a publisher
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. last — to go on
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. fall — the season
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. dip — to sink
  12. fall — to drop
  13. kid — to tease
  14. season — in sport
  15. press — to push
  16. last — final
  17. last — finally
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. fall — to drop
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. dip — to dunk
  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