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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. land — to come down
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. land — a country
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — a publisher
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. land — ground
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. prune — to trim
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. chair — a leader
  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