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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. capital — a city
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. mug — to rob
  6. press — to push
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. bear — the animal
  9. capital — money
  10. mate — a friend
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bear — the animal
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. mate — to breed
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — a publisher
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mug — a face
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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