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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. press — a publisher
  5. rock — a stone
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. cap — of ice
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. object — an aim
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. rock — music
  15. object — to protest
  16. game — a match
  17. game — wild animals
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. press — to push
  20. object — a thing
  21. press — newspapers
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. rock — to move gently

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