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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. scale — size or range
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. shower — rain
  6. charge — a price
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. press — to push
  10. capital — money
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. charge — electricity
  13. capital — a city
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. press — newspapers
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. scale — in music
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a hole
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. shower — to wash
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. charge — in control

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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