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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. land — to come down
  3. roll — a cake
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. bore — to tire
  6. land — a country
  7. press — to push
  8. bore — to drill
  9. land — ground
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. press — newspapers
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. roll — a list
  15. sharp — clever
  16. scale — in music
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. scale — size or range
  21. fall — to drop
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — of a plant
  24. root — the cause

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