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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. cap — a hat
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. cap — a lid
  8. roll — a list
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. press — to push
  12. file — a tool
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. date — the fruit
  16. file — a line of people
  17. pit — in a race
  18. cap — of ice
  19. press — newspapers
  20. roll — a cake
  21. squash — to crush
  22. press — a publisher
  23. squash — the sport
  24. file — a document

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