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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. press — a publisher
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bear — the animal
  5. stand — to bear
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — for paper
  8. fall — to drop
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. press — to push
  16. fall — to drop
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. clip — to cut
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. scale — size or range
  22. date — the fruit
  23. fall — the season
  24. leaves — lets stay

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