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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: pit · racket · trunk · press · scale · chest · foot · wake

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pit — in a race
  3. chest — of your body
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. scale — size or range
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. chest — of your body
  9. press — to push
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. foot — a measure
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — newspapers
  18. pit — a hole
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. chest — a box
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. scale — in music

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