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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. press — a publisher
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. suit — to fit
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. land — to come down
  10. capital — money
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. snap — to click
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. saw — the tool
  15. suit — clothes
  16. suit — in cards
  17. press — to push
  18. saw — the tool
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. press — newspapers
  21. fork — in a road
  22. capital — a city
  23. land — ground
  24. land — a country

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