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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mug — a cup
  4. roll — a cake
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mug — to rob
  8. cap — a lid
  9. can — a tin
  10. plane — a tool
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. cap — a hat
  13. press — to push
  14. press — newspapers
  15. can — a tin
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. chest — a box
  18. roll — a list
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. cap — of ice
  22. can — to be able to
  23. press — a publisher
  24. chest — of your body

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