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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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Word bank
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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. last — to go on
  3. press — newspapers
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. field — for sport
  8. spell — magic
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — a subject
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. spell — a short time
  17. scale — size or range
  18. spell — letters
  19. last — final
  20. pitch — completely
  21. date — the fruit
  22. press — a publisher
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. last — finally

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