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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: press · stick · mine · kid · chair · mouse · leaves · pitch

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  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. pitch — a sales talk
  2. press — a publisher
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. pitch — completely
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. kid — child
  13. mine — for digging
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. press — to push
  16. chair — a leader
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. kid — to tease
  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