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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. sharp — clever
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. fine — all right
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. press — to push
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. fine — high quality
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. press — newspapers
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — finally
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. last — final
  21. bat — the animal
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. pound — a weight
  24. press — a publisher

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