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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 120 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. capital — money
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. charge — electricity
  6. ground — the earth
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. capital — a city
  13. cell — a phone
  14. press — a publisher
  15. ground — crushed
  16. cell — in biology
  17. charge — a price
  18. press — to push
  19. charge — in control
  20. ground — a position
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. cell — in a prison

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