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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. band — a music group
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — music
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. capital — money
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. band — a ring
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. capital — a city
  16. foot — a measure
  17. press — to push
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. press — newspapers
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — a break
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. rest — what's left

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