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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. squash — to crush
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. capital — a city
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. squash — the sport
  7. cap — of ice
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. press — newspapers
  10. plane — a tool
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. rest — what's left
  13. cap — a lid
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. cap — a hat
  17. mine — for digging
  18. press — to push
  19. press — a publisher
  20. rest — what's left
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. rest — a break
  23. capital — money
  24. foot — a measure

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