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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: press · safe · face · land · capital · club · charge · spring

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. land — a country
  4. press — to push
  5. charge — a price
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to confront
  10. club — a group
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. capital — a city
  13. spring — the season
  14. press — a publisher
  15. charge — electricity
  16. press — newspapers
  17. spring — of water
  18. capital — money
  19. face — to point toward
  20. club — for golf
  21. charge — in control
  22. spring — a coil
  23. land — ground
  24. land — to come down

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