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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  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. pitch — a sports field
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — to push
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. saw — the tool
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. shower — rain
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. saw — the tool
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. shower — to wash
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — an explosive
  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