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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — a lid
  3. suit — in cards
  4. key — the most important part
  5. hand — help
  6. key — in music
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. press — to push
  9. fall — to drop
  10. press — a publisher
  11. suit — clothes
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. fall — to drop
  14. press — newspapers
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. stand — to bear
  17. suit — to fit
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. cap — of ice
  20. foot — a measure
  21. hand — in cards
  22. key — for a lock
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. fall — the season

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