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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. hand — in cards
  3. press — a publisher
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. press — to push
  6. ball — a great time
  7. season — in sport
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. saw — the tool
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. lean — to bend
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. lean — thin
  14. season — of the year
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. press — newspapers
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. capital — money
  20. hand — help
  21. saw — the tool
  22. capital — a city
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. ball — a dance

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