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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pitch — completely
  3. press — newspapers
  4. mine — for digging
  5. press — a publisher
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — for sport
  8. spell — letters
  9. press — to push
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mark — a grade
  12. field — farmland
  13. court — of a king
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. court — of law
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. spell — magic
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mark — a trace
  21. court — for sport
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. spell — a short time

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