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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. pitch — completely
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. press — a publisher
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. fine — all right
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — happy
  22. press — newspapers
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. press — to push

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