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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. present — the time now
  3. cue — a signal
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. key — for a lock
  6. present — a gift
  7. clip — for paper
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. clip — to cut
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bat — the animal
  12. key — the most important part
  13. last — finally
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. press — to push
  16. pitch — completely
  17. present — there
  18. clip — a video
  19. cue — for pool
  20. last — final
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. press — a publisher
  23. key — in music
  24. last — to go on

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