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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. capital — money
  6. chest — of your body
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. press — to push
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. press — newspapers
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. stand — to bear
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. chest — of your body
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. press — a publisher
  20. fork — in a road
  21. chest — a box
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. rush — hurry

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