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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: present · charge · capital · date · bay · mine · pit · press

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. press — a publisher
  3. present — there
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. date — the fruit
  7. charge — electricity
  8. press — to push
  9. charge — in control
  10. mine — for digging
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. present — the time now
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. capital — money
  19. press — newspapers
  20. pit — in a race
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. charge — a price
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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