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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. press — a publisher
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. net — after costs
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. race — the arms race
  8. capital — a city
  9. pit — in a race
  10. net — for catching
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. perch — the fish
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. race — a contest
  18. net — in sport
  19. race — humankind
  20. pit — a hole
  21. press — to push
  22. press — newspapers
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — a garden tool

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