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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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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 · stick · season · rest · field · board · press · patient

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. rest — a break
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. season — in sport
  5. press — to push
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. rest — what's left
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. field — farmland
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. board — a committee
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. field — a subject
  14. pitch — completely
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. press — a publisher
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. field — for sport
  22. rest — what's left
  23. season — of the year
  24. press — newspapers

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