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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. charge — a price
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. press — a publisher
  5. lean — to bend
  6. track — to keep track
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. fine — all right
  10. pitch — completely
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — to push
  13. plane — a tool
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. track — a path
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. lean — thin
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. charge — in control
  22. track — a song
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. charge — electricity

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