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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. staff — employees
  4. mine — for digging
  5. press — to push
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — money
  8. pitch — completely
  9. mug — to rob
  10. capital — a city
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. press — newspapers
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. mug — a face
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. staff — employees
  20. press — a publisher
  21. staff — a stick
  22. mug — a cup
  23. mark — a grade
  24. trunk — of a tree

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