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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. press — newspapers
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — to cut
  6. net — for catching
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. current — of water
  9. capital — money
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. capital — a city
  12. fine — high quality
  13. clip — a video
  14. pit — a hole
  15. fine — all right
  16. net — in sport
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. current — electric
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. pit — in a race
  21. current — happening now
  22. press — to push
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. net — after costs

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