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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. mate — a partner
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. squash — the sport
  7. mate — a friend
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. race — a contest
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. squash — to crush
  12. press — a publisher
  13. net — for catching
  14. race — the arms race
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. race — humankind
  18. net — after costs
  19. capital — a city
  20. chair — a leader
  21. net — in sport
  22. mate — to breed
  23. press — to push
  24. leaves — lets stay

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