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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. capital — money
  3. cell — a phone
  4. bear — the animal
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. vault — a safe
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. cell — in biology
  14. press — to push
  15. press — newspapers
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. kick — in football
  18. season — in sport
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. capital — a city
  22. press — a publisher
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. season — of the year

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