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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. cell — a phone
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. swing — to play on
  7. stock — goods
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. clip — to cut
  11. swing — music
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — a video
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — a publisher
  17. stock — shares
  18. swing — in golf
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. press — to push
  22. pitch — completely
  23. cell — in biology
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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