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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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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: tear · capital · straw · kick · foot · press · rule · fine

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. press — a publisher
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. fine — all right
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. rule — government
  13. fine — high quality
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. capital — money
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. foot — a measure
  19. press — newspapers
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. capital — a city
  22. rule — a law
  23. press — to push
  24. kick — in football

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