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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. swing — in golf
  3. board — a committee
  4. mark — a trace
  5. kid — to tease
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. lean — to bend
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. cap — of ice
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. swing — to play on
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — to push
  15. lean — thin
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. kid — child
  18. mark — a grade
  19. board — to get on
  20. cap — a hat
  21. press — newspapers
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. swing — music

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