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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. squash — the sport
  3. press — a publisher
  4. pitch — completely
  5. face — to confront
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. stock — goods
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. branch — a division
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to point toward
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. stock — shares
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. squash — to crush
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. press — newspapers
  24. fork — in a road

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