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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. shower — to wash
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pass — a permit
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. cue — for pool
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. cue — a hint
  12. shower — rain
  13. cue — a signal
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. press — newspapers
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — of water
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. press — to push
  24. spring — a coil

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