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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.

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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 · calf · pass · mate · leaves · press · mine · snap

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. mate — to breed
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. press — newspapers
  11. pass — a permit
  12. press — a publisher
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. mate — a friend
  16. capital — money
  17. snap — to click
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. press — to push
  21. capital — a city
  22. mine — for digging
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. pass — to succeed

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