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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: coach · temple · capital · cell · present · bay · rule · press

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. cell — a phone
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. present — the time now
  7. present — a gift
  8. capital — money
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. press — newspapers
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. press — to push
  14. press — a publisher
  15. present — there
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. rule — a law
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. capital — a city
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. cell — in biology
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rule — government

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