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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: press · capital · march · coach · rush · spell · face · cap

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. march — the month
  3. spell — a short time
  4. face — part of the head
  5. cap — a lid
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. press — a publisher
  9. rush — hurry
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. spell — magic
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. press — newspapers
  15. face — to confront
  16. cap — a hat
  17. capital — money
  18. cap — of ice
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. spell — letters
  21. capital — a city
  22. march — the month
  23. press — to push
  24. march — music

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