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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. press — newspapers
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. face — to confront
  6. rule — a law
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. field — for sport
  9. rule — government
  10. staff — employees
  11. capital — a city
  12. face — part of the head
  13. staff — employees
  14. field — a subject
  15. press — to push
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. press — a publisher
  19. face — to point toward
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. capital — money
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. field — farmland

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