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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
468
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: date · press · mate · calf · root · cap · key · pitcher

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. cap — a hat
  3. key — for a lock
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mate — a partner
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. root — of a plant
  9. date — the fruit
  10. cap — of ice
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. press — a publisher
  13. root — of a word
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. cap — a lid
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. mate — a friend
  20. root — the cause
  21. key — in music
  22. key — the most important part
  23. mate — to breed
  24. press — newspapers

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