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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 108 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. capital — money
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. chair — a leader
  9. season — of the year
  10. kick — in football
  11. present — a gift
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. season — in sport
  14. stand — to bear
  15. present — the time now
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. present — there
  18. capital — a big letter

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