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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: nail · fall · field · mate · press · bowl · vault · pitch

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. press — to push
  5. fall — to drop
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. mate — to breed
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. press — a publisher
  12. field — a subject
  13. fall — the season
  14. mate — a partner
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. field — for sport
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. press — newspapers
  20. vault — a safe
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. field — farmland
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. nail — for a hammer

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