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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. net — for catching
  4. season — of the year
  5. net — in sport
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. shower — rain
  9. track — to keep track
  10. season — in sport
  11. cap — a hat
  12. track — a path
  13. shower — to wash
  14. press — newspapers
  15. net — after costs
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. press — to push
  18. dip — to sink
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. cap — of ice
  21. track — a song
  22. cap — a lid
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. dip — to dunk

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