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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. press — to push
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. bat — the animal
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pound — a weight
  12. stand — to bear
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. press — a publisher
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. game — a match
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. press — newspapers
  23. game — wild animals
  24. wind — moving air

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