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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: game · present · nail · last · ball · cap · press · date

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. cap — a hat
  3. present — the time now
  4. ball — a dance
  5. present — there
  6. cap — of ice
  7. press — a publisher
  8. last — finally
  9. cap — a lid
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. game — a match
  13. date — the fruit
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. press — newspapers
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. last — final
  21. ball — a great time
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. press — to push
  24. last — to go on

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