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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 116 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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. land — a country
  3. rash — a series
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — an illness
  6. press — newspapers
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. rash — hasty
  10. mate — a friend
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mug — a face
  14. land — to come down
  15. press — to push
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. mate — a partner
  18. land — ground
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. mug — a cup
  21. mate — to breed
  22. fine — high quality
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. fine — all right

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