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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. file — a tool
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cold — an illness
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. present — the time now
  13. press — a publisher
  14. present — there
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. present — a gift
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — to push
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. cap — a hat
  24. file — a document

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