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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 116 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cap — a hat
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. press — a publisher
  5. bound — tied together
  6. press — newspapers
  7. cap — of ice
  8. last — final
  9. bound — certain
  10. press — to push
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — in sport
  13. cap — a lid
  14. root — of a plant
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bound — obliged
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. last — finally
  19. last — to go on
  20. fall — the season
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. fall — to drop
  23. root — of a word
  24. root — the cause

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