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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. press — a publisher
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. net — in sport
  6. press — newspapers
  7. net — for catching
  8. root — the cause
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. root — of a word
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. press — to push
  14. ground — crushed
  15. pass — a permit
  16. net — after costs
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. ground — a position
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. root — of a plant
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. ground — the earth
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitch — completely

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