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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pitch — completely
  3. press — to push
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — final
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. kick — in football
  8. press — a publisher
  9. file — a line of people
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. press — newspapers
  14. can — to be able to
  15. file — a document
  16. can — a tin
  17. file — a tool
  18. can — a tin
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. last — finally
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. kick — with a leg

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