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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: fine · foot · date · lie · press · pass · mine · saw

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. press — to push
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. lie — to recline
  9. fine — high quality
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. mine — for digging
  14. pass — a permit
  15. fine — all right
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. press — newspapers
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. foot — a measure
  23. date — the fruit
  24. lie — an untruth

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