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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. pit — a hole
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. press — to push
  8. press — newspapers
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — government
  11. rule — a law
  12. track — a song
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. track — to keep track
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pit — in a race
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. wind — moving air
  22. press — a publisher
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pass — to succeed

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