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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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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: cap · bay · press · bat · rest · date · drill · arm

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. drill — army training
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. drill — a practice
  6. cap — a hat
  7. press — to push
  8. bat — the animal
  9. rest — a break
  10. press — a publisher
  11. rest — what's left
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. drill — the tool
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. cap — of ice
  19. date — the fruit
  20. press — newspapers
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. cap — a lid
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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