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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. march — the month
  3. press — to push
  4. fine — all right
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. capital — money
  9. ground — the earth
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. march — music
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. fall — to drop
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. ground — a position
  16. press — newspapers
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. fine — high quality
  19. march — the month
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. fall — to drop
  22. ground — crushed
  23. press — a publisher
  24. capital — a city

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