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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: can · press · kid · row · dip · pitch · cabinet · foot

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. can — a tin
  6. press — to push
  7. row — to paddle
  8. kid — child
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. press — a publisher
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. kid — to tease
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. press — newspapers
  16. can — to be able to
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. dip — to sink
  19. can — a tin
  20. foot — a measure
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. row — a line

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