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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 120 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · press · staff · court · stick · calf · pass · capital

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. capital — a city
  3. wind — moving air
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. staff — employees
  6. press — newspapers
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pass — a permit
  9. press — to push
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. court — of law
  13. court — for sport
  14. staff — employees
  15. press — a publisher
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. court — of a king
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. staff — a stick
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. capital — money
  24. calf — of the leg

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