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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. stem — to come from
  3. saw — the tool
  4. last — to go on
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a trace
  7. pitch — completely
  8. court — of a king
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. last — finally
  11. press — newspapers
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. press — a publisher
  14. court — for sport
  15. last — final
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. court — of law
  18. press — to push
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. mark — a grade
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. saw — the tool
  24. coach — a trainer

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