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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. press — a publisher
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pit — a hole
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. press — to push
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. race — the arms race
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bank — of a river
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. bank — for money
  20. race — humankind
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. press — newspapers
  24. race — a contest

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