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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  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. capital — a city
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. cap — of ice
  6. file — a tool
  7. pass — a permit
  8. cap — a lid
  9. branch — a division
  10. press — a publisher
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. rush — hurry
  13. cap — a hat
  14. file — a document
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. press — to push
  18. capital — money
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. file — a line of people
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. capital — a big letter
  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