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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — a city
  6. press — newspapers
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. press — to push
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. wind — moving air
  12. capital — money
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — a position
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. wind — moving air
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. deal — to handle
  21. rule — a law
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. chest — of your body
  24. rule — government

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