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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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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. mark — a grade
  3. object — to protest
  4. stand — to bear
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. object — an aim
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — to push
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. track — a song
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a path
  13. press — newspapers
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. mark — a trace
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. object — a thing

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