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

Word bank: pitch · press · fall · rest · date · chest

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. rest — what's left
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. press — a publisher
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pitch — completely
  8. press — to push
  9. chest — of your body
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. fall — the season
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. rest — a break
  14. press — newspapers
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. fall — to drop
  17. chest — a box
  18. rest — what's left

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