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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.

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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: file · bound · kick · capital · press · fork

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. file — a tool
  4. press — to push
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bound — certain
  8. press — newspapers
  9. capital — a city
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. kick — in football
  12. file — a line of people
  13. fork — in a road
  14. capital — money
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. press — a publisher
  17. file — a document
  18. kick — a thrill

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