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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: ruler · capital · hand · pop · band · stick · snap · press

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. press — a publisher
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. hand — help
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — music
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a city
  12. pop — to visit
  13. hand — in cards
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. press — newspapers
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. band — a music group
  19. press — to push
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a ring
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. snap — to click
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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