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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: pitch · content · pit · field · pass · wind · stand · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. stand — to bear
  3. press — to push
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. content — happy
  9. press — newspapers
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pit — a hole
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — farmland
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pitch — completely
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. field — for sport
  24. content — the amount

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