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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. firm — steady
  4. press — newspapers
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. pitch — completely
  9. staff — employees
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — for sport
  12. firm — decided
  13. perch — the fish
  14. staff — a stick
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. face — to point toward
  18. press — to push
  19. staff — employees
  20. firm — a company
  21. face — to confront
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. bat — the animal
  24. field — farmland

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