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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. capital — a city
  3. season — in sport
  4. press — newspapers
  5. chip — to eat
  6. press — a publisher
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. capital — money
  10. club — for dancing
  11. field — for sport
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — farmland
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a grade
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. press — to push
  20. chip — for betting
  21. mark — a trace
  22. club — for golf
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. club — a group

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