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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. press — a publisher
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. pit — a hole
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. mine — for digging
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — tied together
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bound — obliged
  16. staff — a stick
  17. shower — rain
  18. staff — employees
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. press — newspapers
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. press — to push
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. pit — in a race

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