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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: safe · pitch · bass · object · press · last · file · pitcher

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. file — a document
  3. last — to go on
  4. file — a tool
  5. press — a publisher
  6. object — a thing
  7. pitch — completely
  8. last — final
  9. last — finally
  10. bass — the fish
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. press — to push
  13. object — an aim
  14. bass — low music
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. object — to protest
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. file — a line of people

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