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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. rush — hurry
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. band — a ring
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. capital — a city
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. band — a music group
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pound — a weight
  20. press — a publisher
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. capital — money
  24. press — to push

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