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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 124 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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. field — farmland
  3. bank — for money
  4. cell — in biology
  5. press — to push
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. race — a contest
  8. bank — of a river
  9. object — to protest
  10. object — an aim
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. race — humankind
  13. race — the arms race
  14. field — for sport
  15. bank — for money
  16. object — a thing
  17. press — newspapers
  18. field — a subject
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. cell — a phone
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. press — a publisher

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