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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 120 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: season · suit · deal · pitch · court · rush · press · mate

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. suit — to fit
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. court — for sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. suit — in cards
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — to push
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — a friend
  15. pitch — completely
  16. press — newspapers
  17. court — of law
  18. deal — to handle
  19. suit — clothes
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. court — of a king
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. mate — to breed

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