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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 116 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. club — a group
  4. present — a gift
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bass — low music
  7. pit — in a race
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. present — there
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — to push
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. club — for dancing
  18. pitch — completely
  19. press — newspapers
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bass — the fish
  22. present — the time now
  23. club — for golf
  24. pit — a hole

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