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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: key · pitcher · net · march · can · rush · lash · press

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — a tin
  7. press — a publisher
  8. net — for catching
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. key — the most important part
  11. net — after costs
  12. can — to be able to
  13. press — newspapers
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. net — in sport
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. key — in music
  18. press — to push
  19. key — for a lock
  20. rush — hurry
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. march — music
  24. pitcher — a jug

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