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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. present — a gift
  3. pit — a hole
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. press — a publisher
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. present — the time now
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. present — there
  19. press — to push
  20. pit — in a race
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. press — newspapers
  23. lean — thin
  24. fork — in a road

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