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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. last — final
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. last — to go on
  5. chip — for betting
  6. stem — to come from
  7. fine — all right
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. last — finally
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. current — of water
  12. current — happening now
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. press — to push
  15. current — electric
  16. chip — to eat
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bear — the animal
  19. press — a publisher
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. press — newspapers
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bear — the animal

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