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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  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. straw — dry grass
  2. spell — a short time
  3. ground — crushed
  4. spell — letters
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. march — the month
  8. season — of the year
  9. pitch — completely
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. spell — magic
  12. press — to push
  13. ground — the earth
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. season — in sport
  19. press — a publisher
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. ground — a position
  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