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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: key · pitch · arm · kick · press · drill · bear · perch

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. press — a publisher
  3. perch — the fish
  4. key — the most important part
  5. drill — the tool
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. drill — army training
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. drill — a practice
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bear — the animal
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. press — newspapers
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — in music
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. press — to push
  23. kick — in football
  24. bear — to put up with

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