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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. track — to keep track
  3. cap — a hat
  4. track — a song
  5. mate — a friend
  6. season — in sport
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. court — of law
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — help
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — to breed
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. court — for sport
  16. press — to push
  17. court — of a king
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. cap — of ice
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — of the year
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — a publisher
  24. track — a path

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