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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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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: pass · press · pitcher · wind · chest · bowl · capital · ruler

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. press — newspapers
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. capital — a city
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. chest — a box
  13. capital — money
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. wind — moving air
  16. press — to push
  17. press — a publisher
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pass — to spend time

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