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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — money
  4. plane — a tool
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. swing — in golf
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. press — a publisher
  13. field — farmland
  14. press — newspapers
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. snap — to click
  17. swing — music
  18. press — to push
  19. field — for sport
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. swing — to play on
  22. field — a subject
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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