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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. hand — help
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. kick — in football
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. bank — of a river
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. hand — in cards
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. press — to push
  16. scale — in music
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bank — for money
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bank — for money
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. pitch — completely
  23. scale — size or range
  24. press — a publisher

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