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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. can — a tin
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. field — for sport
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. can — a tin
  8. press — to push
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. cap — a lid
  11. mine — for digging
  12. band — a ring
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — a subject
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. cap — a hat
  17. band — a music group
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. can — to be able to
  20. pass — a permit
  21. press — a publisher
  22. deal — to handle
  23. press — newspapers
  24. mine — belonging to me

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