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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. stand — to bear
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — not warm
  6. pit — a hole
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. race — humankind
  9. face — to point toward
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. kick — in football
  12. pit — in a race
  13. race — the arms race
  14. cold — an illness
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. pitch — completely
  19. race — a contest
  20. face — to confront
  21. press — to push
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. face — part of the head
  24. press — newspapers

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