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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. band — a music group
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cold — an illness
  13. press — newspapers
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. press — to push
  16. band — a ring
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. dip — to sink
  19. cap — a lid
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. press — a publisher
  24. bowl — a football final

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