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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 120 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: cap · sharp · net · can · press · wind · club · face

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cap — of ice
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. club — for golf
  6. wind — moving air
  7. club — for dancing
  8. cap — a lid
  9. net — for catching
  10. can — a tin
  11. face — to confront
  12. net — in sport
  13. can — to be able to
  14. press — newspapers
  15. face — part of the head
  16. can — a tin
  17. face — to point toward
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. net — after costs
  21. press — a publisher
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. club — a group
  24. cap — a hat

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