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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: object · pop · swing · saw · cap · press · bore · cabinet

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. swing — music
  3. pop — music
  4. object — to protest
  5. bore — to tire
  6. press — newspapers
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. swing — in golf
  9. object — a thing
  10. press — a publisher
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. pop — to visit
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cap — a lid
  17. object — an aim
  18. saw — the tool
  19. press — to push
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bore — to drill
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. pop — soda

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