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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.

Make a worksheet

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: straw · capital · press · rule · ball · firm

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. rule — government
  3. press — newspapers
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. firm — decided
  7. press — to push
  8. firm — steady
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. ball — a dance
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. capital — money
  14. firm — a company
  15. ball — a great time
  16. press — a publisher
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. rule — a law

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