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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — a series
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. squash — to crush
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — the sport
  9. tear — from crying
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. cap — a hat
  12. press — newspapers
  13. current — of water
  14. rash — hasty
  15. press — a publisher
  16. march — the month
  17. cap — of ice
  18. current — happening now
  19. press — to push
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. tear — from crying
  23. current — electric
  24. tear — to rip

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