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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: charge · field · roll · press · band · pitcher · racket · pit

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. charge — electricity
  3. roll — a cake
  4. field — for sport
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. field — a subject
  7. band — a ring
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. band — a music group
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. roll — a list
  14. pit — a hole
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. press — a publisher
  18. field — farmland
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. charge — in control
  22. press — to push
  23. press — newspapers
  24. charge — a price

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