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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 116 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: bark · cue · hide · press · ball · pitch · field · bay

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. field — a subject
  3. pitch — completely
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. cue — a signal
  7. press — to push
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. cue — for pool
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — for sport
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. ball — a great time
  17. cue — a hint
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. bark — to shout
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. press — newspapers
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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