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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.

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: bowl · capital · pitcher · band · last · press · pass · foot

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. capital — money
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. last — to go on
  9. capital — a city
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. band — a ring
  12. pass — a permit
  13. last — final
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. band — a music group
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — newspapers
  20. last — finally
  21. press — to push
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. foot — a measure

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