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

Word bank: press · stick · cap · toast · mine · mouse · cold · dip

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. press — newspapers
  3. cap — of ice
  4. press — to push
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. cap — a lid
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mine — for digging
  14. cap — a hat
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. press — a publisher
  19. dip — to sink
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. toast — bread
  24. mouse — the animal

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