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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 124 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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. cap — a lid
  3. pop — music
  4. march — the month
  5. press — a publisher
  6. race — a contest
  7. march — the month
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cap — a hat
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pop — to visit
  12. press — newspapers
  13. race — the arms race
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. deal — to handle
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pop — soda
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. march — music
  21. race — humankind
  22. cap — of ice
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. press — to push

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