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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. press — newspapers
  3. fine — all right
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. last — finally
  7. stock — shares
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. last — to go on
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. last — final
  12. fine — high quality
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. ball — a dance
  15. stock — goods
  16. board — to get on
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. board — a committee
  19. press — to push
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. ball — a great time
  22. branch — a division
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. fine — a penalty

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