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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 116 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — for dancing
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. face — part of the head
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. squash — to crush
  9. shower — to wash
  10. club — a group
  11. press — newspapers
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. press — to push
  15. shower — rain
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. face — to confront
  18. squash — the sport
  19. press — a publisher
  20. capital — a city
  21. season — of the year
  22. face — to point toward
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. capital — money

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