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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 120 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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. chest — of your body
  3. ball — a dance
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pitch — completely
  6. charge — in control
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. saw — the tool
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. ball — a great time
  12. press — a publisher
  13. chest — of your body
  14. charge — a price
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. press — newspapers
  17. saw — the tool
  18. chest — a box
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. press — to push
  21. charge — electricity
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. patient — a sick person

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