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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. cap — a hat
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. can — to be able to
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a music group
  9. cap — of ice
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. mate — to breed
  12. cap — a lid
  13. can — a tin
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. foot — a measure
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — to push
  19. can — a tin
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. mate — a partner
  22. press — newspapers
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the sport

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