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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: capital · track · press · bound · rest · temple · degree · saw

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. capital — money
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. degree — an amount
  5. capital — a city
  6. press — a publisher
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. degree — from a university
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bound — tied together
  12. rest — what's left
  13. saw — the tool
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. press — newspapers
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. saw — the tool
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bound — obliged
  20. track — a path
  21. bound — certain
  22. press — to push
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. track — a song

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