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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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468
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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  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. ruler — for measuring
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. press — to push
  6. march — music
  7. rest — what's left
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. pitch — completely
  11. rest — a break
  12. press — a publisher
  13. march — the month
  14. present — there
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. last — to go on
  17. rest — what's left
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. present — the time now
  20. last — finally
  21. march — the month
  22. last — final
  23. present — a gift
  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