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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  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. prune — to trim
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. chair — a leader
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. press — a publisher
  8. lean — to bend
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. pitch — completely
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. press — newspapers
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. press — to push
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. lean — thin
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  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