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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. press — a publisher
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. press — newspapers
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. key — the most important part
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cold — not warm
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. cold — an illness
  16. key — for a lock
  17. rock — a stone
  18. press — to push
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. cap — a hat
  21. key — in music
  22. cap — of ice
  23. kick — in football
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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