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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 116 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. press — a publisher
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. press — newspapers
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. cold — an illness
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. present — the time now
  10. charge — a price
  11. cold — not warm
  12. press — to push
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. charge — in control
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. charge — electricity
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. present — there
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. leaves — to go away

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