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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. rash — hasty
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. press — newspapers
  5. press — a publisher
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — ground
  9. bat — the animal
  10. object — to protest
  11. object — a thing
  12. mate — a friend
  13. land — a country
  14. object — an aim
  15. press — to push
  16. pit — a hole
  17. rash — a series
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. mate — a partner
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. mate — to breed
  24. pit — in a race

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