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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 124 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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. club — for golf
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. tear — from crying
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. pit — in a race
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. club — a group
  16. tear — from crying
  17. press — a publisher
  18. pit — a hole
  19. tear — to rip
  20. pitch — completely
  21. press — newspapers
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. hide — to keep secret

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