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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. file — a document
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. club — a group
  6. sharp — clever
  7. game — a match
  8. drill — the tool
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. drill — army training
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. drill — a practice
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. press — newspapers
  17. file — a tool
  18. club — for dancing
  19. club — for golf
  20. file — a line of people
  21. game — wild animals
  22. press — a publisher
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pitch — a sports field

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