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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. key — for a lock
  3. cap — of ice
  4. key — in music
  5. wind — moving air
  6. fine — high quality
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bat — the animal
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. firm — decided
  11. press — a publisher
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. firm — a company
  14. wind — moving air
  15. sharp — clever
  16. fine — all right
  17. cap — a lid
  18. press — newspapers
  19. firm — steady
  20. key — the most important part
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. press — to push

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