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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. cell — a phone
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — to push
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. club — for golf
  7. root — of a word
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. mine — for digging
  11. cell — in biology
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pit — a hole
  14. root — of a plant
  15. roll — a list
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — a group
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. roll — a cake
  21. press — newspapers
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pit — in a race
  24. cell — in a prison

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