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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: lash · pop · pitch · cabinet · press · ruler · tear · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. pop — music
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a lid
  13. pop — to visit
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. pop — soda
  16. tear — from crying
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. pitch — completely
  19. press — newspapers
  20. tear — to rip
  21. press — a publisher
  22. tear — from crying
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. 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