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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 120 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: fork · kick · leaves · tear · press · pitch

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. tear — from crying
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. tear — from crying
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. press — to push
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. pitch — completely
  12. tear — to rip
  13. press — newspapers
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. fork — in a road
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — in football
  18. leaves — lets stay

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