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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  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. can — to be able to
  2. present — there
  3. drill — a practice
  4. present — the time now
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. wound — an injury
  9. date — the fruit
  10. press — a publisher
  11. can — a tin
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. present — a gift
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. wound — an injury
  18. press — to push
  19. can — a tin
  20. drill — army training
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. press — newspapers
  23. drill — the tool
  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