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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. spring — the season
  5. press — to push
  6. capital — a city
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. press — newspapers
  10. capital — money
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. mine — for digging
  14. rash — hasty
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — a series
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. spring — of water
  22. kid — child
  23. press — a publisher
  24. spring — a coil

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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