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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: straw · shower · rest · swing · scale · deal · press · capital

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. deal — to handle
  3. swing — in golf
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. scale — size or range
  6. shower — rain
  7. rest — what's left
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. press — to push
  11. capital — a city
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. shower — to wash
  14. rest — what's left
  15. swing — to play on
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. rest — a break
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. press — a publisher
  20. capital — money
  21. swing — music
  22. press — newspapers
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. scale — in music

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