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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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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: mine · fine · wind · press · pitcher · pitch · mark · season

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. pitch — completely
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. press — to push
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. mark — a trace
  14. season — of the year
  15. mark — a grade
  16. season — in sport
  17. press — a publisher
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. press — newspapers
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. fine — high quality
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. fine — all right

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