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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — a lid
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. press — to push
  5. club — for dancing
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. press — a publisher
  8. row — to paddle
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — a group
  11. press — newspapers
  12. row — a line
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. cap — of ice
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. foot — a measure
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. ruler — a monarch

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