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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
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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: roll · press · capital · charge · chair · season · field · leaves

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. capital — money
  3. season — in sport
  4. capital — a city
  5. press — newspapers
  6. roll — a list
  7. chair — a leader
  8. press — a publisher
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. field — farmland
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. roll — a cake
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. season — of the year
  17. charge — a price
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. charge — electricity
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — a subject
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. press — to push
  24. leaves — to go away

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