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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — completely
  4. press — a publisher
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. club — a group
  9. last — finally
  10. current — electric
  11. stock — goods
  12. press — to push
  13. current — of water
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. scale — in music
  16. stock — shares
  17. last — to go on
  18. scale — size or range
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. current — happening now
  21. club — for dancing
  22. last — final
  23. press — newspapers
  24. pitch — a sports field

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