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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 124 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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. press — newspapers
  3. date — the fruit
  4. press — to push
  5. press — a publisher
  6. game — a match
  7. face — part of the head
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. stem — to come from
  10. mate — a partner
  11. tube — a container
  12. face — to point toward
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. mate — to breed
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. mate — a friend
  18. game — wild animals
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. face — to confront
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. tube — in a tire

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