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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. key — in music
  3. hand — in cards
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. hand — help
  6. kid — child
  7. press — a publisher
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — for a lock
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. fall — the season
  12. stand — to bear
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. cap — a hat
  16. press — to push
  17. kid — to tease
  18. plane — a tool
  19. press — newspapers
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. cap — of ice
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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