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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. row — a line
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. press — to push
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — of ice
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. press — a publisher
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. press — newspapers
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. pitch — completely
  17. cap — a lid
  18. pound — a weight
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. dip — to sink
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. mark — a grade
  24. row — to paddle

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