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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — money
  5. tear — to rip
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — to push
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mark — a grade
  10. rest — what's left
  11. can — a tin
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mark — a trace
  14. can — a tin
  15. rest — a break
  16. track — a path
  17. track — to keep track
  18. can — to be able to
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ball — a dance
  21. track — a song
  22. capital — a city
  23. rest — what's left
  24. press — newspapers

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