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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
468
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: clip · coach · press · capital · trunk · pit · pitcher · pound

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. press — newspapers
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. press — a publisher
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pound — a weight
  9. clip — a video
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. press — to push
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. capital — a city
  16. pit — a hole
  17. capital — money
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — to cut
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. pit — in a race

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