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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. present — a gift
  8. present — the time now
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. press — to push
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. press — newspapers
  15. squash — to crush
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — the animal
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a song
  21. chest — of your body
  22. present — there
  23. squash — the sport
  24. track — a path

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