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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. cap — a hat
  3. lean — to bend
  4. cap — a lid
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — music
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. hand — help
  9. court — of a king
  10. press — newspapers
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. cap — of ice
  15. sharp — clever
  16. lean — thin
  17. court — of law
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. press — to push
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. court — for sport
  23. fork — in a road
  24. pop — soda

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