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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: mate · ruler · wound · face · capital · press · court · lie

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — a publisher
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. face — to confront
  6. wound — an injury
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. capital — money
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to point toward
  11. press — newspapers
  12. mate — a partner
  13. court — for sport
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. court — of a king
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. mate — a friend
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. court — of law
  20. capital — a city
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mate — to breed
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. lie — to recline

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