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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: lie · capital · fork · racket · staff · chair · press · object

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. staff — a stick
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — money
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. press — newspapers
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. staff — employees
  11. object — to protest
  12. fork — in a road
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. lie — to recline
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. press — to push
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. object — an aim
  22. staff — employees
  23. object — a thing
  24. press — a publisher

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