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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. press — a publisher
  3. content — happy
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. rule — a law
  8. rule — government
  9. branch — a division
  10. press — to push
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. content — the amount
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. fine — high quality
  16. press — newspapers
  17. fine — all right
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. rule — to rule out

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