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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. pop — soda
  4. pop — music
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. press — newspapers
  9. face — to point toward
  10. press — to push
  11. face — to confront
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. last — finally
  14. capital — a city
  15. last — to go on
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. face — part of the head
  18. capital — money
  19. pop — to visit
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. press — a publisher
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. wake — a trail
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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