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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cue — a hint
  4. press — a publisher
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. current — electric
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. current — happening now
  11. press — to push
  12. pound — a weight
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cue — a signal
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. current — of water
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. cue — for pool
  24. pound — for dogs

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