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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 120 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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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 · pitch · dip · chest · kid · bowl · foot · root

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. press — a publisher
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. press — to push
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. kid — child
  8. root — of a word
  9. chest — a box
  10. root — of a plant
  11. press — newspapers
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. root — the cause
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — completely
  19. chest — of your body
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. chest — of your body
  23. dip — to sink
  24. kid — to tease

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