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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. press — a publisher
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. track — a path
  6. track — a song
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. cap — of ice
  10. press — newspapers
  11. cap — a lid
  12. deal — to handle
  13. foot — a measure
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. cap — a hat
  16. rush — hurry
  17. track — to keep track
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. pit — a hole
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. pit — in a race
  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