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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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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: board · bore · last · saw · field · press · pitch · chair

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. saw — the tool
  3. field — farmland
  4. last — finally
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. pitch — completely
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. last — to go on
  9. press — newspapers
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. field — a subject
  12. board — to get on
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. field — for sport
  15. press — to push
  16. chair — a leader
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bore — to tire
  19. press — a publisher
  20. last — final
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. board — a committee
  24. saw — the tool

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