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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. rest — what's left
  3. press — newspapers
  4. snap — to click
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — to push
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. march — the month
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. roll — a list
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. roll — a cake
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. rest — a break

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