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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. net — for catching
  3. band — a music group
  4. net — in sport
  5. rush — hurry
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. press — newspapers
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. vault — a safe
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — a weight
  18. band — a ring
  19. pitch — completely
  20. fork — in a road
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — to push
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. net — after costs

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