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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. shower — rain
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. drill — a practice
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. roll — a cake
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. rush — hurry
  11. press — a publisher
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. fine — high quality
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bat — the animal
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. press — to push
  19. fine — all right
  20. drill — the tool
  21. pitch — completely
  22. drill — army training
  23. roll — a list
  24. shower — to wash

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