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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. charge — a price
  3. cue — a signal
  4. lie — to recline
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. charge — electricity
  7. cue — a hint
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. tube — a container
  10. squash — to crush
  11. cap — a lid
  12. squash — the sport
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. charge — in control
  16. tube — the underground
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. cue — for pool
  19. press — to push
  20. press — a publisher
  21. press — newspapers
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cap — a hat
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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