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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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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: ball · press · capital · key · pop · file · rash · pitcher

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. press — a publisher
  3. ball — a dance
  4. press — newspapers
  5. capital — a city
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. capital — money
  8. key — for a lock
  9. rash — a series
  10. file — a document
  11. pop — soda
  12. key — the most important part
  13. file — a tool
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. rash — hasty
  16. file — a line of people
  17. pop — to visit
  18. key — in music
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. press — to push
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. pop — music
  24. ball — a great time

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