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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: present · pitch · press · fork · rash · field

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. press — a publisher
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. press — newspapers
  5. present — the time now
  6. field — a subject
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. field — farmland
  10. rash — a series
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. press — to push
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. pitch — completely
  16. rash — hasty
  17. field — for sport
  18. present — a gift

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