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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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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: press · pop · ruler · bay · capital · march

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. pop — music
  5. press — a publisher
  6. march — the month
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. capital — money
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. march — music
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. march — the month
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. capital — a city
  18. pop — soda

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