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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 116 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: press · deal · rock · track · cap · clip

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. rock — music
  3. cap — a lid
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. cap — of ice
  6. track — to keep track
  7. cap — a hat
  8. track — a song
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. clip — for paper
  11. rock — a stone
  12. deal — to handle
  13. press — a publisher
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. clip — to cut
  16. press — newspapers
  17. clip — a video
  18. 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