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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. stand — to bear
  3. cold — an illness
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. fine — high quality
  6. mate — a partner
  7. capital — money
  8. press — newspapers
  9. press — a publisher
  10. present — the time now
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. present — there
  14. mate — to breed
  15. press — to push
  16. bear — the animal
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. mate — a friend
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. present — a gift
  23. bear — the animal
  24. fine — all right

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