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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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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: mate · swing · cap · hide · content · date · press · toast

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. swing — music
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. mate — to breed
  5. press — a publisher
  6. cap — of ice
  7. mate — a partner
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. cap — a hat
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. swing — to play on
  14. content — happy
  15. press — newspapers
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. toast — bread
  18. content — the amount
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. mate — a friend
  21. press — to push
  22. date — the fruit
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. swing — in golf

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