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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 120 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. object — to protest
  3. chest — of your body
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. press — newspapers
  6. fall — to drop
  7. object — a thing
  8. charge — in control
  9. sharp — clever
  10. chest — of your body
  11. fall — the season
  12. land — a country
  13. chest — a box
  14. fall — to drop
  15. object — an aim
  16. bulb — for light
  17. charge — electricity
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — ground
  23. charge — a price
  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