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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — music
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — in sport
  6. mate — a partner
  7. spell — letters
  8. mate — to breed
  9. season — of the year
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. press — to push
  12. pop — to visit
  13. clip — for paper
  14. spell — magic
  15. mate — a friend
  16. cap — a lid
  17. scale — in music
  18. cap — of ice
  19. clip — to cut
  20. cap — a hat
  21. clip — a video
  22. scale — size or range
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — a publisher

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