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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: racket · pitcher · march · press · rule · stick

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. march — music
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — to push
  8. rule — government
  9. march — the month
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. march — the month
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. rule — a law
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. press — newspapers
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. stick — a piece of wood

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