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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 120 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: rush · bat · pitch · current · press · season

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. current — electric
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. pitch — completely
  9. season — of the year
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — hurry
  12. current — of water
  13. press — newspapers
  14. season — in sport
  15. bat — the animal
  16. press — a publisher
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. current — happening now

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