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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: key · press · bear · capital · bat · mug · rock · rash

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. press — to push
  5. press — a publisher
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bear — the animal
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — a stone
  12. bat — the animal
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. mug — a cup
  16. key — in music
  17. bear — the animal
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. mug — to rob
  20. key — the most important part
  21. capital — a city
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. rash — a series
  24. mug — a face

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