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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 116 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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pop — soda
  4. pit — a hole
  5. press — a publisher
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. pop — music
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. shower — rain
  11. wound — an injury
  12. shower — to wash
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. press — newspapers
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. press — to push
  24. pit — in a race

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