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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: season · capital · chair · stick · straw · kid · press · ball

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. press — to push
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. chair — a leader
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. ball — a great time
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. kid — child
  11. capital — a city
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. press — newspapers
  15. ball — a dance
  16. season — of the year
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. press — a publisher
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. kid — to tease
  23. capital — money
  24. season — in sport

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