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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. pop — to visit
  3. capital — a city
  4. press — newspapers
  5. object — a thing
  6. roll — a cake
  7. press — a publisher
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. cell — a phone
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. pop — music
  12. object — an aim
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. capital — money
  15. branch — a division
  16. press — to push
  17. roll — a list
  18. pop — soda
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a partner
  24. object — to protest

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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