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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: game · fine · press · foot · lash · pop · tear · cap

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. cap — a hat
  4. press — to push
  5. cap — of ice
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. tear — from crying
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. game — a match
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. pop — music
  13. fine — high quality
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. tear — from crying
  16. foot — a measure
  17. pop — soda
  18. press — a publisher
  19. fine — all right
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. game — wild animals
  22. press — newspapers
  23. tear — to rip
  24. pop — to visit

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