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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. squash — to crush
  6. squash — the sport
  7. toast — bread
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. press — to push
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — for catching
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pass — a permit
  20. press — newspapers
  21. net — in sport
  22. pitch — completely
  23. march — music
  24. toast — the most admired

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