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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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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: club · capital · press · bulb · nail · fine · snap · rest

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. club — for golf
  6. fine — high quality
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. capital — money
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bulb — for light
  11. rest — a break
  12. club — for dancing
  13. capital — a city
  14. snap — to click
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. press — newspapers
  17. club — a group
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bulb — for light
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. rest — what's left
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fine — all right
  24. press — to push

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