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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.

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: cabinet · toast · fan · fork · court · season · press · pitch

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. season — in sport
  5. court — of law
  6. press — newspapers
  7. court — for sport
  8. press — a publisher
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. press — to push
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. court — of a king
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. season — of the year
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. pitch — completely
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. toast — bread

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