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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: field · mate · last · press · cell · pitch · bowl · nail

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — a phone
  4. mate — a partner
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. mate — a friend
  7. cell — in biology
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. mate — to breed
  10. press — newspapers
  11. field — a subject
  12. last — finally
  13. press — to push
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. field — farmland
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. field — for sport
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. last — to go on
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. last — final

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