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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitch · hand · season · mine · bay · racket · press · file

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. press — a publisher
  6. pitch — completely
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. season — in sport
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. press — newspapers
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. season — of the year
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a line of people
  16. mine — for digging
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. press — to push
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — in cards
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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