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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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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: capital · face · rest · press · stand · saw · kick · land

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. land — ground
  3. stand — to bear
  4. saw — the tool
  5. land — to come down
  6. press — a publisher
  7. kick — in football
  8. face — to point toward
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. land — a country
  11. capital — a city
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. press — newspapers
  14. face — to confront
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. rest — a break
  19. capital — money
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rest — what's left
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. rest — what's left
  24. face — part of the head

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