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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. spring — the season
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. pass — a permit
  7. spring — a coil
  8. press — a publisher
  9. capital — a city
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. press — to push
  12. lie — to recline
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. rest — a break
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. capital — money
  18. bat — the animal
  19. spring — of water
  20. rest — what's left
  21. deal — to handle
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. press — newspapers

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