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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 116 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — all right
  4. charge — electricity
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — a short time
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. spell — letters
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. charge — in control
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. press — newspapers
  18. stem — to come from
  19. press — to push
  20. charge — a price
  21. pass — a permit
  22. sharp — clever
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pass — to spend time

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