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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. root — of a plant
  3. root — of a word
  4. game — wild animals
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bank — for money
  11. scale — size or range
  12. press — to push
  13. bank — for money
  14. game — a match
  15. press — newspapers
  16. root — the cause
  17. bank — of a river
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. sharp — clever
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. sharp — with an edge

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