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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · rash · cabinet · field · mine · bowl · press · foot

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. press — newspapers
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. field — a subject
  9. mine — for digging
  10. rash — hasty
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. press — a publisher
  15. field — for sport
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. press — to push
  19. rash — a series
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. foot — a measure
  22. field — farmland
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. capital — money

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