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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. cold — an illness
  5. can — a tin
  6. net — after costs
  7. tube — the underground
  8. net — for catching
  9. can — a tin
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. band — a music group
  12. tube — a container
  13. press — a publisher
  14. cold — not warm
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. press — newspapers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. net — in sport
  20. band — a ring
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. press — to push
  23. pitch — completely
  24. can — to be able to

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