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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. press — to push
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. ground — a position
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. press — a publisher
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. press — newspapers
  10. rock — music
  11. spring — of water
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. ground — the earth
  14. spring — the season
  15. last — final
  16. last — finally
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. capital — a city
  19. spring — a coil
  20. last — to go on
  21. capital — money
  22. ground — crushed
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. wake — a trail

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