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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: press · ball · march · wound · pitch · safe · shower · track

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. shower — rain
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. shower — to wash
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. press — a publisher
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. march — the month
  14. ball — a dance
  15. track — a song
  16. ball — a great time
  17. wound — an injury
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. pitch — completely
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. press — newspapers
  22. track — to keep track
  23. wound — an injury
  24. track — a path

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