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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ball · cold · pass · kick · bark · trunk · press · sharp

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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. press — to push
  4. press — newspapers
  5. sharp — clever
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. cold — not warm
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. press — a publisher
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. ball — a dance
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. pass — a permit
  21. kick — in football
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. ball — a great time

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