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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 116 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — money
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bank — for money
  5. club — for golf
  6. press — newspapers
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. press — a publisher
  9. game — wild animals
  10. fall — to drop
  11. club — for dancing
  12. club — a group
  13. bank — of a river
  14. press — to push
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. capital — a city
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bank — for money
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fall — the season
  23. game — a match
  24. fall — to drop

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