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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. tear — from crying
  3. press — a publisher
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — all right
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — to push
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pitch — completely
  12. fine — high quality
  13. spell — magic
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. spell — a short time
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying

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