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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  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. toast — the most admired
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. cap — of ice
  5. chip — for betting
  6. mug — a cup
  7. cap — a lid
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. wind — moving air
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. charge — a price
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. wind — moving air
  16. press — to push
  17. toast — bread
  18. charge — electricity
  19. mug — to rob
  20. chip — to eat
  21. charge — in control
  22. press — a publisher
  23. wind — to turn a key
  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