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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. ball — a great time
  3. press — to push
  4. capital — money
  5. mine — for digging
  6. sharp — clever
  7. face — to point toward
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. press — a publisher
  13. toast — bread
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. press — newspapers
  16. face — to confront
  17. capital — a city
  18. ball — a dance
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. face — part of the head
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. toast — the most admired

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