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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: rock · press · pitch · nail · roll · mate · chest · pit

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — in a race
  4. mate — a friend
  5. roll — a list
  6. mate — a partner
  7. roll — a cake
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pit — a hole
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. mate — to breed
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. rock — music
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. rock — a stone
  18. chest — of your body
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. press — to push
  21. chest — of your body
  22. press — a publisher
  23. chest — a box
  24. press — newspapers

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