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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 120 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
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: plane · press · fall · capital · rush · wake · pit · squash

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. pit — in a race
  3. rush — hurry
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — a trail
  7. press — a publisher
  8. plane — a tool
  9. pit — a hole
  10. fall — to drop
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. fall — the season
  14. squash — to crush
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. squash — the sport
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. capital — money
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. capital — a city
  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