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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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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: jam · pitch · field · court · press · lash · pit · fork

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — of law
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a hole
  9. press — newspapers
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. pitch — completely
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. field — a subject
  16. fork — in a road
  17. field — for sport
  18. press — to push
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. court — for sport
  21. field — farmland
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. jam — to spread on 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