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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. mate — a friend
  3. press — to push
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. mate — a partner
  7. press — a publisher
  8. club — a group
  9. pitch — completely
  10. can — a tin
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. mate — to breed
  16. club — for golf
  17. pop — music
  18. press — newspapers
  19. pop — soda
  20. pop — to visit
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — a division
  23. club — for dancing
  24. can — a tin

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