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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. press — to push
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. branch — a division
  13. bat — the animal
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. last — final
  16. last — finally
  17. pit — in a race
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. last — to go on
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. stock — goods
  22. press — newspapers
  23. pit — a hole
  24. bat — in an idiom

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