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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: capital · mate · spring · last · lash · chair · press · chip

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. press — newspapers
  3. mate — to breed
  4. last — final
  5. spring — the season
  6. capital — a city
  7. press — a publisher
  8. chip — to eat
  9. mate — a partner
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. spring — a coil
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. chip — for betting
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. chair — a leader
  18. press — to push
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. capital — money
  21. last — finally
  22. last — to go on
  23. mate — a friend
  24. chair — a professorship

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