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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. can — a tin
  3. cap — a hat
  4. plane — a tool
  5. rule — government
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. land — to come down
  8. shower — rain
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. cap — a lid
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. press — to push
  13. band — a music group
  14. land — ground
  15. can — a tin
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. press — a publisher
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. press — newspapers
  20. shower — to wash
  21. can — to be able to
  22. land — a country
  23. band — a ring
  24. rule — a law

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