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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. press — a publisher
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. content — happy
  5. face — part of the head
  6. suit — clothes
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. suit — to fit
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. season — of the year
  13. pitch — completely
  14. content — the amount
  15. press — newspapers
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. suit — in cards
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. face — to point toward
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. season — in sport
  22. press — to push
  23. face — to confront
  24. hide — to keep secret

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