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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. cue — for pool
  3. season — in sport
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. cue — a signal
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. press — a publisher
  12. cue — a hint
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a document
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. press — to push
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. file — a line of people
  20. press — newspapers
  21. degree — an amount
  22. pitch — completely
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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