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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — a hat
  4. pit — a hole
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. press — a publisher
  10. net — for catching
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. press — to push
  16. net — after costs
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. net — in sport
  20. pit — in a race
  21. press — newspapers
  22. cap — of ice
  23. rush — hurry
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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