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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 broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. march — music
  4. swing — to play on
  5. rock — a stone
  6. cap — a hat
  7. march — the month
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. march — the month
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. press — newspapers
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a lid
  15. press — a publisher
  16. cold — not warm
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cold — an illness
  19. press — to push
  20. swing — music
  21. swing — in golf
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. pitch — completely

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