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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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468
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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. press — newspapers
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cell — in biology
  9. bass — low music
  10. pitch — completely
  11. fall — the season
  12. bass — the fish
  13. press — a publisher
  14. swing — music
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. swing — to play on
  18. swing — in golf
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. capital — money
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. press — to push
  24. racket — for tennis

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