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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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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: rock · press · court · straw · fine · chair · deal · kid

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. rock — a stone
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. press — to push
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. court — of a king
  10. chair — a leader
  11. kid — child
  12. court — of law
  13. kid — to tease
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. rock — music
  16. fine — all right
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. press — newspapers
  19. fine — high quality
  20. court — for sport
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. deal — to handle
  24. straw — a straw man

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