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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: pitch · field · press · rock · cold · cue · foot · ball

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cold — an illness
  8. pitch — completely
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a great time
  11. field — a subject
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. press — a publisher
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. press — to push
  17. cue — a signal
  18. press — newspapers
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. foot — a measure
  21. field — farmland
  22. rock — music
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. field — for sport

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