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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. lean — thin
  3. press — a publisher
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. lean — to bend
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. court — of law
  10. court — for sport
  11. press — to push
  12. pitch — completely
  13. court — of a king
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. bat — the animal
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. snap — to click
  22. wax — to grow
  23. hide — animal skin
  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