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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cell — in biology
  3. press — to push
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — a phone
  9. stand — to bear
  10. land — ground
  11. land — a country
  12. press — a publisher
  13. land — to come down
  14. hand — help
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. capital — money
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. hand — in cards
  19. press — newspapers
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. wake — a trail
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. capital — a city

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