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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. cap — a hat
  3. object — a thing
  4. spring — a coil
  5. suit — in cards
  6. spring — the season
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. row — a line
  9. suit — to fit
  10. cap — of ice
  11. object — to protest
  12. perch — the fish
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. spring — of water
  15. press — newspapers
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. press — a publisher
  18. suit — clothes
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. cap — a lid
  23. object — an aim
  24. row — to paddle

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