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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: bowl · jam · capital · track · chair · wake · press · object

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. capital — a city
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a song
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. track — a path
  7. object — an aim
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. press — a publisher
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. press — to push
  19. press — newspapers
  20. object — a thing
  21. object — to protest
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. chair — a leader
  24. capital — money

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