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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. season — of the year
  3. pitch — completely
  4. press — to push
  5. capital — a city
  6. rock — music
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — a practice
  10. capital — money
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. rock — a stone
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. drill — the tool
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. press — a publisher
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. press — newspapers
  24. season — in sport

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