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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: key · press · capital · cap · chair · chip · land · fall

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. cap — a hat
  3. land — to come down
  4. press — to push
  5. key — for a lock
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. land — a country
  8. cap — of ice
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. press — newspapers
  11. land — ground
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. cap — a lid
  14. key — the most important part
  15. capital — money
  16. chair — a leader
  17. capital — a city
  18. fall — to drop
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — for betting
  21. press — a publisher
  22. fall — to drop
  23. key — in music
  24. chair — a professorship

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