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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: press · dip · rock · tube · pitch · key · foot · lean

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. key — the most important part
  3. lean — thin
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. tube — the underground
  6. pitch — completely
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. key — for a lock
  10. rock — a stone
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rock — music
  15. foot — a measure
  16. press — a publisher
  17. tube — a container
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. key — in music
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — to push
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. dip — to sink

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