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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. key — the most important part
  3. ground — a position
  4. lie — to recline
  5. capital — a city
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. key — in music
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. press — a publisher
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. press — to push
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. pitch — completely
  16. key — for a lock
  17. ground — crushed
  18. capital — money
  19. stock — goods
  20. ground — the earth
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. press — newspapers

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