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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 124 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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — finally
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. press — newspapers
  7. shower — rain
  8. last — final
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. rock — music
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. prune — to trim
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — to wash
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. press — to push
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. pitch — completely
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. rock — a stone
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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