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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. ground — a position
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. mate — a partner
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. ground — crushed
  7. chair — a leader
  8. cap — of ice
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. mate — a friend
  11. pitch — completely
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cap — a hat
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — a publisher
  16. perch — the fish
  17. press — to push
  18. cap — a lid
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. ground — the earth
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. chair — to sit on

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