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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 124 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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. cap — a hat
  4. pound — a weight
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mine — for digging
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. toast — bread
  11. shower — rain
  12. press — newspapers
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. press — to push
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. cap — of ice
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. board — a committee
  20. cap — a lid
  21. board — to get on
  22. shower — to wash
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. fan — to cool the air

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