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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cap — a hat
  3. dip — to sink
  4. press — to push
  5. cap — of ice
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. press — a publisher
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. vault — a safe
  13. season — in sport
  14. press — newspapers
  15. rock — music
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. cap — a lid
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. season — of the year
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cold — an illness
  24. rock — a stone

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