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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. swing — in golf
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. press — a publisher
  5. land — a country
  6. swing — to play on
  7. press — newspapers
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. press — to push
  11. bound — certain
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. bound — tied together
  15. capital — a city
  16. land — ground
  17. land — to come down
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. bound — obliged
  21. season — in sport
  22. swing — music
  23. capital — money
  24. season — of the year

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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