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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — a publisher
  3. capital — money
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. stem — to come from
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. bass — low music
  9. press — newspapers
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. land — ground
  14. net — for catching
  15. capital — a city
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. land — a country
  18. land — to come down
  19. net — after costs
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. net — in sport
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. bass — the fish

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