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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. pop — to visit
  4. capital — a city
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. ball — a great time
  10. drill — army training
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pop — music
  14. stem — to come from
  15. ball — a dance
  16. drill — a practice
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. press — a publisher
  19. pop — soda
  20. press — to push
  21. capital — money
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. press — newspapers
  24. rush — hurry

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