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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. capital — money
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. capital — a city
  5. lie — to recline
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a ring
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wax — to grow
  11. roll — a cake
  12. roll — a list
  13. press — a publisher
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. press — to push
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — a partner
  20. press — newspapers
  21. stand — to bear
  22. mate — to breed
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. band — a rubber band

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