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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: press · cap · tear · rock · cold · mate · racket · roll

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. press — to push
  3. roll — a list
  4. mate — a partner
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. cap — a lid
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rock — a stone
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. press — a publisher
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. press — newspapers
  16. roll — a cake
  17. cap — a hat
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. rock — music
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — not warm
  23. mate — a friend
  24. tear — to rip

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