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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  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. can — to be able to
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. swing — music
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. swing — in golf
  7. craft — boats
  8. can — a tin
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. press — to push
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. craft — a skill
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. press — a publisher
  22. can — a tin
  23. bat — the animal
  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