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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pound — a weight
  3. press — newspapers
  4. chest — a box
  5. capital — money
  6. court — of law
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. capital — a city
  9. press — a publisher
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. drill — a practice
  13. chest — of your body
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. march — music
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. drill — army training
  19. court — for sport
  20. press — to push
  21. drill — the tool
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. court — of a king

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