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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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Word bank
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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  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. capital — a city
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. race — a contest
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. squash — the sport
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. race — humankind
  8. kick — in football
  9. race — the arms race
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. key — for a lock
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — to push
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. key — in music
  17. squash — to crush
  18. fine — all right
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. capital — money
  21. key — the most important part
  22. fine — high quality
  23. wave — of the sea
  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