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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. drill — a practice
  3. press — a publisher
  4. cell — a phone
  5. firm — steady
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. firm — a company
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. firm — decided
  10. drill — army training
  11. press — to push
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. drill — the tool
  14. press — newspapers
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. land — to come down
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. cell — in biology
  21. land — a country
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. land — ground
  24. pitch — completely

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