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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. press — to push
  3. face — to point toward
  4. deal — to handle
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. sharp — clever
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — a city
  10. face — to confront
  11. press — a publisher
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. face — part of the head
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. mug — a face
  19. capital — money
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. press — newspapers
  23. mug — a cup
  24. deal — a big deal

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