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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 120 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. can — a tin
  4. press — to push
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. face — part of the head
  7. can — to be able to
  8. face — to point toward
  9. cap — a lid
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. mate — to breed
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. mate — a partner
  14. press — a publisher
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. can — a tin
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. face — to confront
  23. snap — to click
  24. press — newspapers

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