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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 120 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's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. rash — a series
  3. ground — a position
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. bound — obliged
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. press — a publisher
  10. drill — the tool
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. ground — the earth
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bound — tied together
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. ground — crushed
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — a practice
  19. pitch — completely
  20. press — newspapers
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rash — hasty
  23. press — to push
  24. bound — certain

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