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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. press — newspapers
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. press — to push
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. capital — a city
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mine — for digging
  17. capital — money
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. season — of the year
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. season — in sport
  23. press — a publisher
  24. capital — a big letter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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