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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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Word bank
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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: capital · toast · sharp · calf · press · season · foot · trunk

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. press — a publisher
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. press — to push
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. toast — bread
  12. season — of the year
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. press — newspapers
  20. season — in sport
  21. sharp — clever
  22. capital — money
  23. foot — a measure
  24. calf — a young animal

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