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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. press — newspapers
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. press — to push
  7. press — a publisher
  8. ground — the earth
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rock — music
  14. ground — crushed
  15. pop — music
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. pop — soda
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — completely
  21. rash — a series
  22. rock — a stone
  23. ground — a position
  24. pop — to visit

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