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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: scale · press · hand · ball · fall · pit · pitch · season

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. hand — help
  4. pit — in a race
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. fall — the season
  7. press — newspapers
  8. fall — to drop
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. ball — a great time
  11. fall — to drop
  12. press — to push
  13. press — a publisher
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pitch — completely
  16. season — of the year
  17. scale — size or range
  18. season — in sport
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. scale — in music
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. ball — a dance
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. ball — a round shape

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