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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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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: row · press · rule · cap · field · present · date · arm

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. present — a gift
  3. row — to paddle
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. field — for sport
  6. cap — a hat
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. present — there
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. present — the time now
  11. date — the fruit
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. field — a subject
  15. press — newspapers
  16. rule — government
  17. press — a publisher
  18. field — farmland
  19. row — a line
  20. cap — of ice
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rule — a law
  23. press — to push
  24. date — on the calendar

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