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

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. season — in sport
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. mark — a trace
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. mark — a grade
  8. key — in music
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. press — newspapers
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wax — to grow
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. season — of the year
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — the most important part
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — completely
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. press — to push

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