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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.

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: prune · bass · file · press · pitch · face · charge · calf

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. pitch — completely
  4. face — to confront
  5. face — part of the head
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. face — to point toward
  8. bass — the fish
  9. prune — to trim
  10. file — a document
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. prune — to trim
  13. charge — in control
  14. file — a tool
  15. press — a publisher
  16. bass — low music
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. press — newspapers
  20. charge — a price
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. charge — electricity
  24. pitch — a sports field

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