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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 124 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. cell — a phone
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. spring — of water
  6. capital — a city
  7. press — newspapers
  8. spring — the season
  9. face — part of the head
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. vault — a safe
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a dance
  14. cell — in biology
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — to confront
  17. spring — a coil
  18. game — wild animals
  19. press — to push
  20. press — a publisher
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — a match
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. cell — in a prison

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