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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. swing — in golf
  3. swing — to play on
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — from a university
  6. firm — decided
  7. land — a country
  8. capital — money
  9. press — a publisher
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. swing — music
  13. press — newspapers
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. land — ground
  17. firm — steady
  18. deal — to handle
  19. land — to come down
  20. degree — an amount
  21. firm — a company
  22. kid — child
  23. press — to push
  24. kid — to tease

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