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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bat — the animal
  3. press — to push
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. cap — a hat
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pound — a weight
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. cap — a lid
  18. press — newspapers
  19. cap — of ice
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. prune — to trim
  24. safe — a strongbox

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