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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. rule — government
  3. press — to push
  4. march — music
  5. cap — a lid
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. file — a tool
  9. spell — magic
  10. rule — a law
  11. rest — what's left
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. spell — letters
  16. capital — a city
  17. rest — a break
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — of ice
  20. spell — a short time
  21. file — a line of people
  22. press — a publisher
  23. capital — money
  24. file — a document

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