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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 always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. cap — a lid
  4. net — after costs
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. dip — to sink
  8. press — to push
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. net — for catching
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. rush — hurry
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. cue — a signal
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cap — a hat
  17. saw — the tool
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. cue — for pool
  20. net — in sport
  21. cap — of ice
  22. press — newspapers
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. cue — a hint

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