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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 · cold · saw · press · net · staff · cabinet · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitch — completely
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. staff — employees
  8. last — final
  9. net — in sport
  10. staff — a stick
  11. net — for catching
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. last — finally
  15. saw — the tool
  16. press — to push
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. staff — employees
  20. press — newspapers
  21. net — after costs
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. cold — not warm
  24. press — a publisher

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