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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. fine — all right
  3. capital — a city
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. press — newspapers
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. field — a subject
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. capital — money
  10. press — to push
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bat — the animal
  14. press — a publisher
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. row — to paddle
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. row — a line
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — for sport

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