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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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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: rash · deal · press · kick · capital · patient

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. kick — in football
  4. press — a publisher
  5. capital — a city
  6. deal — to handle
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. capital — money
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. press — to push
  14. rash — hasty
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. press — newspapers
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rash — a series

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