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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 124 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: lean · press · bowl · last · content · mine · court · pitch

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. press — to push
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. lean — thin
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. last — final
  7. pitch — completely
  8. court — of a king
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. mine — for digging
  11. content — happy
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. press — newspapers
  14. court — of law
  15. court — for sport
  16. last — finally
  17. lean — to bend
  18. press — a publisher
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. last — to go on

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