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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  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 big letter
  2. press — to push
  3. scale — in music
  4. capital — money
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. tear — to rip
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. capital — a city
  17. wax — to grow
  18. stand — to bear
  19. tear — from crying
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. stand — for spectators
  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