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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 124 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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. capital — a city
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. press — to push
  7. pit — a hole
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. pit — in a race
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. wake — a trail
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. press — a publisher
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. ground — crushed
  16. press — newspapers
  17. ground — a position
  18. bulb — for light
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a dance
  23. capital — money
  24. bulb — for light

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