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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: firm · lie · mate · cabinet · press · last · pitch · season

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. firm — a company
  3. last — to go on
  4. mate — a partner
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — completely
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. last — finally
  11. season — in sport
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. press — a publisher
  14. lie — to recline
  15. press — newspapers
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. last — final
  18. firm — steady
  19. mate — to breed
  20. firm — decided
  21. season — of the year
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. mate — a friend
  24. press — to push

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