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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: press · wave · pitch · ground · kid · chest · lean · fork

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. press — newspapers
  3. lean — thin
  4. kid — to tease
  5. press — a publisher
  6. lean — to bend
  7. ground — a position
  8. chest — of your body
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. ground — the earth
  11. chest — of your body
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. press — to push
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. chest — a box
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pitch — completely
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. kid — child
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. fork — in a road
  24. ground — crushed

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