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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 116 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 · press · pitch · lash · present · staff · content · kid

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  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. present — there
  2. content — happy
  3. staff — employees
  4. press — newspapers
  5. kid — child
  6. fork — in a road
  7. staff — employees
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. content — the amount
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — to push
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. present — the time now
  20. present — a gift
  21. pitch — completely
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. staff — a stick
  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