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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.

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: rule · mark · capital · press · season · mouse · wave · last

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. mark — a grade
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — money
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. mark — a trace
  10. season — in sport
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. last — to go on
  13. press — a publisher
  14. last — final
  15. press — newspapers
  16. rule — a law
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. rule — government
  21. season — of the year
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. last — finally

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