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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 120 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: fine · saw · kick · capital · board · kid · deal · press

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  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. kid — child
  2. capital — money
  3. board — to get on
  4. saw — the tool
  5. kid — to tease
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. board — a committee
  9. capital — a city
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. deal — to handle
  12. kick — in football
  13. press — newspapers
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — all right
  17. saw — the tool
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. press — to push
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. board — a flat piece
  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