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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cap — of ice
  4. last — final
  5. field — farmland
  6. press — newspapers
  7. press — a publisher
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. cap — a lid
  12. last — finally
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. deal — to handle
  16. pound — a weight
  17. cap — a hat
  18. bore — to tire
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. last — to go on
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — gave birth

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