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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. press — to push
  3. face — to point toward
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. face — to confront
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. ground — crushed
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. pit — a hole
  12. press — newspapers
  13. ground — the earth
  14. press — a publisher
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. capital — money
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. face — part of the head
  22. ground — a position
  23. pit — in a race
  24. hide — to keep secret

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