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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. press — to push
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. press — newspapers
  5. pitch — completely
  6. season — in sport
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. content — the amount
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. last — finally
  14. last — to go on
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. content — happy
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. season — of the year
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. last — final

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