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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 116 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. prune — to trim
  4. press — to push
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. prune — to trim
  9. perch — the fish
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. pitch — completely
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — the arms race
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — a publisher
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. race — humankind
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. sharp — clever

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