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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: press · face · cap · jam · wake · bear · game · toast

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. face — part of the head
  4. wake — a trail
  5. cap — a lid
  6. bear — the animal
  7. game — a match
  8. press — a publisher
  9. bear — the animal
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. cap — a hat
  12. face — to point toward
  13. press — newspapers
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. game — wild animals
  16. face — to confront
  17. toast — bread
  18. cap — of ice
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. press — to push
  24. wake — before a funeral

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