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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: object · ball · land · capital · press · wave · lie · mine

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. capital — a city
  7. ball — a great time
  8. land — ground
  9. press — to push
  10. object — a thing
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. press — newspapers
  14. ball — a dance
  15. press — a publisher
  16. land — to come down
  17. capital — money
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. land — a country
  20. lie — to recline
  21. mine — for digging
  22. object — to protest
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. object — an aim

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