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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. fall — to drop
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. press — to push
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. cap — a hat
  9. fall — the season
  10. press — newspapers
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. mug — a face
  15. press — a publisher
  16. fall — to drop
  17. can — a tin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. mug — to rob
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cap — a lid
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — the animal
  24. cap — of ice

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