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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. suit — to fit
  3. press — to push
  4. capital — money
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. suit — in cards
  8. suit — clothes
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. stem — to come from
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. net — for catching
  14. press — a publisher
  15. track — a path
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. net — in sport
  19. chip — to eat
  20. net — after costs
  21. capital — a city
  22. track — a song
  23. track — to keep track
  24. press — newspapers

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