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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. press — to push
  3. bat — the animal
  4. fall — to drop
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. swing — in golf
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. drill — army training
  15. pitch — completely
  16. swing — to play on
  17. fall — the season
  18. press — a publisher
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. press — newspapers
  21. swing — music
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — the tool
  24. coach — a trainer

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