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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: press · hide · pitch · content · suit · craft · ball · field

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. press — a publisher
  4. content — the amount
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. ball — a dance
  8. suit — clothes
  9. ball — a great time
  10. field — a subject
  11. craft — boats
  12. press — newspapers
  13. field — farmland
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. craft — a skill
  16. field — for sport
  17. content — happy
  18. pitch — completely
  19. suit — to fit
  20. suit — in cards
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. content — videos and posts

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