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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: cap · toast · pop · press · wind · current · pitcher · hand

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. press — newspapers
  3. press — to push
  4. cap — of ice
  5. current — electric
  6. toast — bread
  7. hand — help
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. current — happening now
  10. cap — a hat
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pop — music
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. press — a publisher
  15. pop — soda
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pop — to visit
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. wind — moving air
  20. hand — in cards
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. current — of water
  24. cap — a lid

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