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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 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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. drill — army training
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. pound — a weight
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. press — newspapers
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. press — a publisher
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. press — to push
  18. foot — a measure
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — the tool
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — completely

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