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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: jam · trunk · rule · pound · press · game · field · cabinet

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. rule — a law
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. field — a subject
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. game — a match
  8. game — wild animals
  9. rule — government
  10. pound — a weight
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. press — a publisher
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. field — for sport
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. field — farmland
  22. press — newspapers
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. press — to push

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