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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. capital — a city
  4. fork — in a road
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. capital — money
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. press — a publisher
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. press — newspapers
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bat — the animal
  23. press — to push
  24. bowl — a football final

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