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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. fall — to drop
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. press — a publisher
  10. chair — a leader
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. pitch — completely
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. press — to push
  17. fall — the season
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. press — newspapers
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. fall — to drop

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