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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. present — a gift
  7. press — to push
  8. season — in sport
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. press — a publisher
  11. kick — in football
  12. press — newspapers
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. bank — of a river
  16. foot — a measure
  17. date — the fruit
  18. march — the month
  19. present — there
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. bank — for money
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. season — of the year
  24. present — the time now

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