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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 116 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. scale — size or range
  3. ball — a great time
  4. mark — a trace
  5. press — to push
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. land — a country
  8. press — a publisher
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mark — a grade
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. land — to come down
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. last — to go on
  17. scale — in music
  18. press — newspapers
  19. last — final
  20. land — ground
  21. ball — a dance
  22. last — finally
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. calf — a young animal

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