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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 120 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bank — for money
  3. capital — a city
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. press — newspapers
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. pop — soda
  8. press — a publisher
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. pop — to visit
  11. bank — of a river
  12. deal — to handle
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bank — for money
  15. press — to push
  16. pop — music
  17. cell — a phone
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. capital — money
  21. cell — in biology
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. deal — an agreement

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