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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. capital — a city
  3. march — the month
  4. press — newspapers
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — a division
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. march — the month
  12. press — to push
  13. rest — a break
  14. file — a line of people
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — what's left
  17. file — a tool
  18. press — a publisher
  19. march — music
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. file — a document
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a partner
  24. capital — money

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