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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 120 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 very handy with a ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. pitch — completely
  4. ground — the earth
  5. key — in music
  6. press — to push
  7. ground — crushed
  8. net — for catching
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. ground — a position
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. key — the most important part
  13. net — after costs
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. press — newspapers
  16. net — in sport
  17. saw — the tool
  18. key — for a lock
  19. press — a publisher
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. pitch — a sports field

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