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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. press — a publisher
  4. cap — a hat
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. pop — soda
  8. net — for catching
  9. season — of the year
  10. net — after costs
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. pop — to visit
  14. cap — of ice
  15. press — newspapers
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. net — in sport
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. sharp — clever
  20. mark — a trace
  21. cap — a lid
  22. pop — music
  23. season — in sport
  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