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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. swing — to play on
  3. press — newspapers
  4. capital — a city
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. land — to come down
  7. net — after costs
  8. race — humankind
  9. swing — music
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. swing — in golf
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. race — the arms race
  14. net — in sport
  15. capital — money
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. net — for catching
  18. pitch — completely
  19. land — a country
  20. race — a contest
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. press — to push
  23. press — a publisher
  24. safe — a strongbox

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