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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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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — a trail
  3. bore — to tire
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. capital — a city
  7. press — newspapers
  8. capital — money
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. prune — to trim
  11. ground — crushed
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. press — to push
  16. ground — the earth
  17. chip — for betting
  18. deal — to handle
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. ground — a position
  23. press — a publisher
  24. bore — to drill

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