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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: stand · capital · land · press · suit · mine · bat · mark

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. press — newspapers
  3. suit — in cards
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. suit — clothes
  6. mine — for digging
  7. stand — to bear
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. press — to push
  10. capital — money
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. capital — a city
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bat — the animal
  16. suit — to fit
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. land — a country
  20. mark — a grade
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. land — to come down
  23. mark — a trace
  24. stand — on your feet

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