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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: file · bore · cap · deal · press · trunk · cold · racket

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. bore — to tire
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cap — a hat
  8. file — a line of people
  9. cold — an illness
  10. press — a publisher
  11. deal — to handle
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. file — a tool
  14. bore — to drill
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. file — a document
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cold — not warm
  21. press — newspapers
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. press — to push
  24. cap — a lid

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