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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. press — to push
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. cap — of ice
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. wake — a trail
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bass — low music
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. press — newspapers
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. bass — the fish
  20. cap — a hat
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. dip — to sink
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. press — a publisher

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