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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. press — a publisher
  3. fall — to drop
  4. stock — shares
  5. press — to push
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pit — in a race
  10. kick — in football
  11. bank — for money
  12. press — newspapers
  13. season — in sport
  14. bank — of a river
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. pit — a hole
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. stock — goods
  21. fall — the season
  22. wind — moving air
  23. season — of the year
  24. bank — for money

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