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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. perch — the fish
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. cold — an illness
  7. press — newspapers
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. press — a publisher
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. march — the month
  12. rule — a law
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cold — not warm
  16. march — the month
  17. press — to push
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. rule — government
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. march — music

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