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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. rest — a break
  3. content — the amount
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. charge — in control
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. press — to push
  12. charge — electricity
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. content — happy
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. rest — what's left
  17. capital — money
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. sharp — clever
  21. charge — a price
  22. rest — what's left
  23. capital — a city
  24. press — newspapers

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