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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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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: bay · capital · coach · club · press · lie · fine · snap

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  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. coach — a trainer
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. snap — to click
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fine — high quality
  7. club — for golf
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. club — a group
  10. fine — all right
  11. press — to push
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. lie — to recline
  15. press — newspapers
  16. club — for dancing
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. press — a publisher
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  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