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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. press — a publisher
  3. ball — a great time
  4. capital — a city
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. press — to push
  7. wind — moving air
  8. branch — a division
  9. wind — moving air
  10. saw — the tool
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. staff — employees
  14. ball — a dance
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. capital — money
  19. press — newspapers
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. saw — the tool

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