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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mark — a trace
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. club — a group
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — for dancing
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. cold — an illness
  16. press — to push
  17. cold — not warm
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. press — newspapers
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. rock — a stone
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. press — a publisher
  24. mark — a grade

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