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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: pop · chip · press · capital · rush · bear · key · fall

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. key — the most important part
  3. chip — for betting
  4. capital — a city
  5. fall — the season
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. pop — to visit
  8. fall — to drop
  9. key — in music
  10. chip — to eat
  11. key — for a lock
  12. rush — hurry
  13. capital — money
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. press — a publisher
  16. pop — soda
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. press — newspapers
  19. fall — to drop
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. press — to push
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pop — music
  24. bear — the animal

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