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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. scale — in music
  3. face — part of the head
  4. net — in sport
  5. dip — to sink
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. cap — of ice
  8. swing — in golf
  9. press — newspapers
  10. swing — music
  11. cap — a hat
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. face — to point toward
  14. press — a publisher
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. net — after costs
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. face — to confront
  19. net — for catching
  20. scale — size or range
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. cap — a lid
  23. press — to push
  24. swing — to play on

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