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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: content · racket · pitch · press · rock · toast · ball · shower

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — music
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — rain
  9. toast — bread
  10. content — happy
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. ball — a dance
  13. pitch — completely
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — a publisher
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. content — the amount
  20. shower — to wash
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. ball — a great time
  23. press — to push
  24. rock — to move gently

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