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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 116 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 locked up in a ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. present — there
  3. present — the time now
  4. degree — an amount
  5. capital — a city
  6. cell — in biology
  7. spring — a coil
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — temperature
  10. charge — electricity
  11. capital — money
  12. press — newspapers
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. charge — in control
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. press — a publisher
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. charge — a price
  19. spring — of water
  20. present — a gift
  21. cell — a phone
  22. press — to push
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. spring — the season

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