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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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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: cabinet · fine · trunk · capital · press · net · stick · snap

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — money
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. snap — to click
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. net — in sport
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. press — to push
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — after costs
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. fine — all right
  19. press — newspapers
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. fine — high quality
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. press — a publisher

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