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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. drill — the tool
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. present — there
  10. drill — a practice
  11. pitch — completely
  12. plane — a tool
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. press — newspapers
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. land — a country
  18. present — a gift
  19. land — ground
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. land — to come down
  22. press — to push
  23. present — the time now
  24. drill — army training

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