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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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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: cell · lie · last · object · mark · press · present · sharp

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. object — to protest
  3. cell — in biology
  4. last — final
  5. mark — a trace
  6. object — a thing
  7. present — the time now
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. sharp — clever
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. present — a gift
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. present — there
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. press — to push
  16. last — finally
  17. object — an aim
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. lie — to recline
  21. press — newspapers
  22. cell — a phone
  23. mark — a grade
  24. last — to go on

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