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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. press — to push
  3. squash — to crush
  4. capital — money
  5. key — for a lock
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. land — ground
  8. key — the most important part
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — a publisher
  12. key — in music
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. land — a country
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. land — to come down
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. capital — a city
  24. fan — a supporter

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