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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. press — newspapers
  3. mate — a partner
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. pop — music
  6. cap — of ice
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. pop — to visit
  9. field — a subject
  10. press — a publisher
  11. field — farmland
  12. mate — a friend
  13. press — to push
  14. field — for sport
  15. cap — a lid
  16. tube — a container
  17. cap — a hat
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pop — soda
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. rash — hasty
  22. pass — a permit
  23. tube — the underground
  24. rash — a series

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