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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. press — newspapers
  3. board — to get on
  4. cap — a lid
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. kid — child
  8. press — to push
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. cell — a phone
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. press — a publisher
  14. cap — a hat
  15. board — a committee
  16. cell — in biology
  17. band — a music group
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. kid — to tease
  22. band — a ring
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. board — a flat piece

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