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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.

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: season · capital · spell · lie · press · root · mate · chair

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. spell — letters
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. capital — a city
  5. press — to push
  6. season — in sport
  7. press — newspapers
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. capital — money
  10. root — the cause
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. mate — a partner
  13. spell — magic
  14. lie — to recline
  15. spell — a short time
  16. mate — a friend
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. root — of a word
  20. season — of the year
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. root — of a plant
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. mate — to breed

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