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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. press — a publisher
  4. ball — a dance
  5. press — to push
  6. cap — a lid
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pop — soda
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — a city
  11. root — the cause
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a hat
  14. root — of a plant
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. ball — a great time
  17. capital — money
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pop — to visit
  20. root — of a word
  21. pop — music
  22. dip — to sink
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. press — newspapers

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