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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. press — to push
  3. charge — a price
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — newspapers
  7. charge — in control
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. charge — electricity
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. branch — a division
  19. bat — the animal
  20. clip — a video
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. clip — to cut
  24. kick — in football

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