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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 124 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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. ground — the earth
  3. chip — for betting
  4. bat — the animal
  5. press — a publisher
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. cap — a lid
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. saw — the tool
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. press — to push
  15. chip — to eat
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. cap — a hat
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. saw — the tool
  22. stem — to come from
  23. ground — a position
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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