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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. land — ground
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — hasty
  5. capital — a city
  6. sharp — clever
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. stand — to bear
  10. net — in sport
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. land — to come down
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. press — a publisher
  15. land — a country
  16. cap — of ice
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. press — to push
  19. rash — a series
  20. cap — a hat
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — for catching
  23. capital — money
  24. cap — a lid

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