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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: fork · kick · leaves · tear · press · pitch · rush · cell

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pitch — completely
  7. kick — in football
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. press — newspapers
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. press — to push
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fork — in a road
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. tear — to rip
  18. press — a publisher
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. cell — a phone
  24. leaves — to go away

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