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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. press — to push
  4. date — the fruit
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. pitch — completely
  12. press — newspapers
  13. current — electric
  14. current — happening now
  15. capital — a city
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. current — of water
  21. capital — money
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. branch — a division

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