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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: pit · racket · mine · press · present · object

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. object — an aim
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. press — a publisher
  5. present — a gift
  6. press — to push
  7. object — a thing
  8. pit — a hole
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. present — the time now
  11. object — to protest
  12. mine — for digging
  13. present — there
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pit — in a race
  18. press — newspapers

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