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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 116 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: press · capital · tear · content · safe · pitcher · chip · cap

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. capital — a city
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. press — a publisher
  5. cap — a hat
  6. press — to push
  7. content — the amount
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. tear — from crying
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. cap — of ice
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. cap — a lid
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. tear — from crying
  17. chip — for betting
  18. capital — money
  19. press — newspapers
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. chip — to eat
  23. content — happy
  24. tear — to rip

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