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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. cap — of ice
  3. present — there
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. game — wild animals
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. cap — a lid
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. present — the time now
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — newspapers
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — to be able to
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. can — a tin
  20. press — to push
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. game — a match
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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