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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. press — a publisher
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. mug — a cup
  9. mug — a face
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. press — to push
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bound — tied together
  14. mug — to rob
  15. bound — obliged
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bound — certain
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. kick — in football
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. cap — a lid
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. kick — a thrill

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