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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. press — a publisher
  3. field — farmland
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — letters
  6. press — newspapers
  7. spell — a short time
  8. suit — to fit
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. suit — clothes
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. press — to push
  13. field — a subject
  14. last — finally
  15. mine — for digging
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. pitch — completely
  19. field — for sport
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. suit — in cards
  22. last — final
  23. mine — belonging to me
  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