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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bark — to shout
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. press — to push
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. can — a tin
  9. mark — a grade
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. mine — for digging
  12. fine — high quality
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. fine — all right
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. can — to be able to
  19. press — newspapers
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. can — a tin
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — to pay attention

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