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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: press · cabinet · chip · present · capital · foot · calf · pound

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — there
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. foot — a measure
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. capital — money
  10. pound — a weight
  11. press — to push
  12. press — a publisher
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — for betting
  18. press — newspapers
  19. present — the time now
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. capital — a city
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. chip — in a computer

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