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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. field — farmland
  5. press — a publisher
  6. pop — soda
  7. field — a subject
  8. press — to push
  9. capital — money
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — of ice
  12. press — newspapers
  13. cap — a hat
  14. capital — a city
  15. shower — rain
  16. pop — music
  17. shower — to wash
  18. pop — to visit
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — a trace
  23. field — for sport
  24. ruler — a monarch

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