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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. cap — of ice
  6. clip — a video
  7. cap — a lid
  8. net — for catching
  9. press — a publisher
  10. dip — to sink
  11. net — after costs
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. suit — to fit
  15. press — newspapers
  16. clip — to cut
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. clip — for paper
  19. cap — a hat
  20. press — to push
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. net — in sport
  24. suit — clothes

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