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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: ruler · press · racket · lie · chip · cap · stick · mug

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. press — to push
  4. chip — for betting
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. cap — a lid
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. mug — to rob
  9. press — a publisher
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. chip — to eat
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. mug — a face
  15. lie — to recline
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. press — newspapers
  20. cap — of ice
  21. mug — a cup
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. ruler — a monarch

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