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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: track · pitch · season · press · bowl · prune · firm · mug

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. season — of the year
  4. mug — a cup
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. press — to push
  7. track — a song
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. firm — decided
  10. firm — steady
  11. mug — to rob
  12. track — to keep track
  13. mug — a face
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — completely
  18. press — newspapers
  19. firm — a company
  20. press — a publisher
  21. season — in sport
  22. track — a path
  23. prune — to trim
  24. season — to add flavour

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