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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. rush — hurry
  3. press — a publisher
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — tied together
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bound — obliged
  9. lean — to bend
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. lean — thin
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. press — newspapers
  14. pitch — completely
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. press — to push
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. kid — child
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. kid — to tease

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