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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 water is too ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. press — a publisher
  5. charge — a price
  6. perch — the fish
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. press — to push
  9. pop — soda
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. rock — music
  14. charge — in control
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. cold — an illness
  18. charge — electricity
  19. pop — music
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pop — to visit
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. press — newspapers
  24. rock — a stone

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