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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. chest — of your body
  4. mark — a grade
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. chest — of your body
  7. press — a publisher
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. wound — an injury
  12. chest — a box
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. sharp — clever
  15. mark — a trace
  16. press — to push
  17. press — newspapers
  18. pitch — completely
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rock — music
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — to wash
  24. sharp — exactly

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