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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: wind · pitch · wake · press · toast · pit · drill · fan

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  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 sports field
  2. press — a publisher
  3. press — to push
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pitch — completely
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — a practice
  9. toast — bread
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. drill — army training
  19. wind — moving air
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. pit — in a race
  23. wind — moving air
  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