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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 120 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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. press — to push
  3. cap — a hat
  4. wound — an injury
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pop — soda
  12. cap — of ice
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bass — low music
  16. pop — to visit
  17. press — a publisher
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. press — newspapers
  22. pop — music
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bass — the instrument

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