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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. tear — to rip
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. press — to push
  7. pitch — completely
  8. tear — from crying
  9. capital — a city
  10. press — a publisher
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. press — newspapers
  13. tear — from crying
  14. ground — a position
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — the earth
  19. firm — steady
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. firm — a company
  22. firm — decided
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. lash — to lash out

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