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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — to push
  7. press — a publisher
  8. cap — of ice
  9. tube — a container
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. snap — to click
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. tube — the underground
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cap — a lid
  24. bowl — to roll

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