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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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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: press · bay · charge · pitch · kid · stick

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  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. charge — electricity
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — in control
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. press — a publisher
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. press — to push
  10. kid — child
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. pitch — completely
  15. kid — to tease
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  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