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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 116 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 tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. charge — a price
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. degree — an amount
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. cap — a hat
  9. press — newspapers
  10. degree — from a university
  11. charge — in control
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. charge — electricity
  17. cap — of ice
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. press — a publisher
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. degree — temperature
  24. press — to push

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