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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: trunk · press · cue · capital · kick · bay

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. capital — money
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. cue — for pool
  9. kick — in football
  10. capital — a city
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. cue — a signal
  15. press — newspapers
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. press — to push
  18. cue — a hint

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