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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. press — a publisher
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. key — the most important part
  8. press — newspapers
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pass — a permit
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. cap — a lid
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. capital — money
  15. ground — a position
  16. press — to push
  17. key — in music
  18. ground — the earth
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. cap — of ice
  21. key — for a lock
  22. cap — a hat
  23. capital — a city
  24. ground — crushed

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