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

Word bank: capital · bear · press · nail · ball · rule

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. ball — a great time
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. press — newspapers
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. press — to push
  8. rule — a law
  9. capital — money
  10. rule — government
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bear — the animal
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. ball — a dance
  16. capital — a city
  17. bear — the animal
  18. rule — to rule out

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