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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pitch — completely
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. press — a publisher
  8. snap — to click
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. last — final
  11. bound — obliged
  12. press — newspapers
  13. board — a committee
  14. press — to push
  15. rush — hurry
  16. last — to go on
  17. board — to get on
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. bound — certain
  20. last — finally
  21. bound — tied together
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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