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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 116 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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. press — newspapers
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. press — to push
  5. march — the month
  6. bass — low music
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. tear — to rip
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. march — music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bear — the animal
  16. chip — for betting
  17. tear — from crying
  18. chip — to eat
  19. pitch — completely
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. march — the month
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bass — the fish
  24. tear — from crying

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