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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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: season · club · fall · rash · fine · bowl · press · capital

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. capital — a city
  3. fine — all right
  4. fall — to drop
  5. club — for golf
  6. press — to push
  7. club — for dancing
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. rash — hasty
  10. club — a group
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. press — a publisher
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. capital — money
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. season — in sport
  17. fall — to drop
  18. press — newspapers
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. rash — a series
  21. fall — the season
  22. fine — high quality
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. rash — on the skin

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