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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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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: chip · foot · capital · deal · press · squash · cap · cell

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. squash — the sport
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. press — to push
  5. capital — a city
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cap — of ice
  9. chip — for betting
  10. capital — money
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cell — a phone
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. chip — to eat
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. squash — to crush
  20. press — newspapers
  21. foot — a measure
  22. press — a publisher
  23. deal — to handle
  24. squash — the vegetable

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