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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. file — a line of people
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. suit — to fit
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cell — in biology
  9. press — to push
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. file — a document
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. stand — to bear
  15. file — a tool
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. suit — clothes
  19. pitch — completely
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. press — newspapers
  22. suit — in cards
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. deal — to handle

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