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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. squash — the sport
  3. press — to push
  4. spring — a coil
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. spring — of water
  7. squash — to crush
  8. press — newspapers
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. capital — a city
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. spring — the season
  16. deal — to handle
  17. pitch — completely
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. capital — money
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. leaves — of a tree

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