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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. press — to push
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. track — a path
  6. track — to keep track
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. track — a song
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. roll — a list
  13. shower — to wash
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. roll — a cake
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. kick — in football
  18. press — newspapers
  19. rush — hurry
  20. shower — rain
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. capital — a city
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. press — a publisher

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