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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — clever
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. press — to push
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pit — a hole
  11. rest — what's left
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. capital — money
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. branch — a division
  20. fine — high quality
  21. press — newspapers
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. fine — all right
  24. capital — a city

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