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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. shower — to wash
  3. spell — a short time
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pitch — completely
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. charge — a price
  8. perch — the fish
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — newspapers
  11. chest — a box
  12. press — to push
  13. spell — letters
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. shower — rain
  17. charge — in control
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. chest — of your body
  20. charge — electricity
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. spell — magic
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — for a bird

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