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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. press — to push
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. season — in sport
  6. hand — help
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. cap — of ice
  9. press — a publisher
  10. chip — for betting
  11. wake — a trail
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — to eat
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. hand — in cards
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. plane — a tool
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. press — newspapers
  21. season — of the year
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — a lid
  24. plane — in geometry

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