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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. drill — a practice
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. drill — army training
  6. stand — to bear
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. key — for a lock
  10. wax — to grow
  11. chest — of your body
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. key — in music
  14. chest — a box
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. chest — of your body
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. press — newspapers
  21. key — the most important part
  22. drill — the tool
  23. pitch — completely
  24. press — a publisher

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