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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. charge — electricity
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. press — a publisher
  5. press — to push
  6. charge — a price
  7. bank — for money
  8. field — for sport
  9. last — final
  10. field — farmland
  11. last — finally
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. net — after costs
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bank — for money
  18. net — for catching
  19. last — to go on
  20. press — newspapers
  21. charge — in control
  22. net — in sport
  23. fork — in a road
  24. field — a subject

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