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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 116 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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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: mark · safe · leaves · capital · press · file · net · march

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. march — the month
  3. net — in sport
  4. capital — money
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. net — for catching
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. march — the month
  11. file — a line of people
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. march — music
  14. press — newspapers
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — a trace
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. press — a publisher
  19. net — after costs
  20. file — a document
  21. press — to push
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. capital — a city
  24. file — a tool

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