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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. press — a publisher
  6. scale — size or range
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. press — to push
  12. fine — high quality
  13. scale — in music
  14. pitch — completely
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — the animal
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. press — newspapers
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. fine — all right
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — a series

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