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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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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. ground — crushed
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. capital — money
  11. ground — a position
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. present — a gift
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. press — newspapers
  17. present — the time now
  18. press — to push
  19. present — there
  20. cell — in biology
  21. press — a publisher
  22. mine — for digging
  23. capital — a city
  24. perch — the fish

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