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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. press — a publisher
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. stand — to bear
  7. last — to go on
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. spell — a short time
  12. last — finally
  13. press — newspapers
  14. last — final
  15. spell — magic
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. capital — a city
  18. press — to push
  19. spell — letters
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. capital — money

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