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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 · temple · season · kid · leaves · present · deal

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. present — there
  3. cap — a lid
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. deal — to handle
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. press — a publisher
  9. season — of the year
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. present — a gift
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. kid — child
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. press — newspapers
  18. cap — of ice
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. season — in sport
  21. kid — to tease
  22. cap — a hat
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. present — the time now

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