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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.

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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 · tear · pitch · pit · date · trunk

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. pit — in a race
  3. tear — from crying
  4. press — a publisher
  5. press — to push
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. date — the fruit
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. pit — a hole
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. pitch — completely

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