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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: court · stand · capital · tube · arm · kick · press · squash

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. court — for sport
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. court — of a king
  8. tube — the underground
  9. capital — money
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. press — to push
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — newspapers
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. squash — to crush
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. stand — to bear
  20. kick — in football
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. tube — a container
  23. court — of law
  24. squash — the sport

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