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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cap — a hat
  3. game — a match
  4. wound — an injury
  5. press — newspapers
  6. last — to go on
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. pitch — completely
  9. can — to be able to
  10. press — to push
  11. press — a publisher
  12. can — a tin
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. game — wild animals
  16. cap — of ice
  17. scale — size or range
  18. cap — a lid
  19. last — final
  20. last — finally
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. scale — in music
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. wound — an injury

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