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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. press — to push
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. capital — money
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cap — a lid
  8. capital — a city
  9. track — a path
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. mate — a partner
  12. wound — an injury
  13. press — newspapers
  14. track — a song
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. press — a publisher
  19. cap — a hat
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. track — to keep track

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