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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  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. capital — a city
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. season — in sport
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — to come from
  8. press — to push
  9. land — ground
  10. land — to come down
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. season — of the year
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. fine — all right
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. kick — in football
  20. fine — high quality
  21. capital — money
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. land — a country
  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