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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: bay · mate · press · trunk · last · hand · shower · kick

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — to go on
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. kick — in football
  7. press — to push
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. press — newspapers
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. mate — a friend
  12. shower — rain
  13. shower — to wash
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. press — a publisher
  16. hand — help
  17. mate — a partner
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. last — final
  23. mate — to breed
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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