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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.

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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 · rush · content · capital · rule · face · suit · tube

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. rule — a law
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a city
  5. rule — government
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. tube — a container
  9. suit — in cards
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. suit — clothes
  12. face — part of the head
  13. press — a publisher
  14. rush — hurry
  15. face — to confront
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — the underground
  18. suit — to fit
  19. press — to push
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. content — happy
  23. face — to point toward
  24. press — newspapers

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