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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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. trunk — of a car
  4. key — for a lock
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. ground — a position
  7. mate — to breed
  8. ground — crushed
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. key — the most important part
  11. mate — a friend
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — in football
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. press — a publisher
  16. key — in music
  17. press — to push
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. capital — money
  20. branch — a division
  21. ground — the earth
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. mate — a partner

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