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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. charge — a price
  4. press — to push
  5. capital — money
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. spring — the season
  8. charge — electricity
  9. present — there
  10. spring — a coil
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to click
  14. press — a publisher
  15. spring — of water
  16. press — newspapers
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. present — a gift
  21. capital — a city
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. charge — in control
  24. present — the time now

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