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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.

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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: date · file · press · pitch · foot · last · firm · roll

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. file — a line of people
  3. firm — a company
  4. last — to go on
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. pitch — completely
  7. press — to push
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. date — the fruit
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a tool
  13. firm — decided
  14. foot — a measure
  15. roll — a cake
  16. press — newspapers
  17. firm — steady
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. last — finally
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. last — final
  24. roll — a list

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