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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. face — to confront
  4. press — a publisher
  5. stock — goods
  6. press — to push
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. press — newspapers
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — in sport
  12. capital — a city
  13. pitch — completely
  14. stock — shares
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. net — after costs
  18. capital — money
  19. face — to point toward
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — for sport
  23. face — part of the head
  24. court — of law

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