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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. press — to push
  3. bound — tied together
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. press — a publisher
  6. bound — obliged
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bound — certain
  9. charge — electricity
  10. charge — a price
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. perch — the fish
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mate — a friend
  17. game — a match
  18. game — wild animals
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. mate — a partner
  21. pitch — completely
  22. charge — in control
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. press — newspapers

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