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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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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pitch — completely
  3. row — a line
  4. club — for dancing
  5. press — newspapers
  6. rush — hurry
  7. chair — a leader
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. prune — to trim
  11. club — a group
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. key — in music
  16. club — for golf
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — for a lock
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. row — to paddle
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. press — to push
  24. press — a publisher

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