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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. fall — to drop
  5. press — a publisher
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. press — to push
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. hand — in cards
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. fall — the season
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. dip — to sink
  17. hand — help
  18. press — newspapers
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. capital — a city
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. capital — money
  24. nail — for a hammer

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