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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. press — a publisher
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. season — of the year
  7. press — to push
  8. press — newspapers
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. march — the month
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. season — in sport
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. race — a contest
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — from crying
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — humankind
  24. tear — to rip

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