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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: pitcher · press · trunk · mark · scale · capital · kick · present

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. present — the time now
  3. mark — a grade
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — in music
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. mark — a trace
  9. capital — money
  10. scale — size or range
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. capital — a city
  14. present — a gift
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. kick — in football
  20. present — there
  21. press — newspapers
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. press — to push
  24. press — a publisher

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