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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  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. mate — a partner
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. mate — to breed
  4. swing — to play on
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. suit — in cards
  7. suit — to fit
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. swing — music
  13. mate — a friend
  14. suit — clothes
  15. press — to push
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pitch — completely
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. swing — in golf
  20. press — a publisher
  21. cold — not warm
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. cold — an illness
  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