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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: press · capital · mug · key · sharp · rock · calf · bound

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. mug — a face
  3. capital — money
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bound — tied together
  6. mug — to rob
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bound — certain
  9. key — in music
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. mug — a cup
  12. key — the most important part
  13. key — for a lock
  14. sharp — clever
  15. rock — a stone
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bound — obliged
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. press — to push
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — newspapers
  24. rock — 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