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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. clip — a video
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — certain
  6. clip — for paper
  7. rash — a series
  8. stem — to come from
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. tear — from crying
  13. present — there
  14. press — a publisher
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. tear — to rip
  17. present — the time now
  18. present — a gift
  19. press — to push
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bound — tied together
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. pitch — completely
  24. clip — to cut

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