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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. press — a publisher
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. press — newspapers
  5. charge — electricity
  6. last — finally
  7. track — a path
  8. track — a song
  9. shower — to wash
  10. last — to go on
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. charge — a price
  18. charge — in control
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. track — to keep track
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — for digging
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. press — to push

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