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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · pit · mine · fine · press · stem · sharp · vault

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. press — to push
  4. sharp — clever
  5. press — a publisher
  6. fine — high quality
  7. pit — in a race
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. stem — to come from
  13. vault — a safe
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. press — newspapers
  19. mine — for digging
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. fine — all right
  24. mine — belonging to me

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