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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 124 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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: staff · drill · press · bulb · race · capital

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bulb — for light
  3. press — to push
  4. drill — army training
  5. bulb — for light
  6. staff — a stick
  7. race — humankind
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. staff — employees
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — a contest
  13. drill — the tool
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. staff — employees
  16. press — a publisher
  17. capital — money
  18. drill — a practice

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