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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: pitcher · press · rest · stick · fork · scale · board · net

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. net — in sport
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. rest — what's left
  5. board — a committee
  6. rest — a break
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. board — to get on
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — size or range
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. press — a publisher
  18. scale — in music
  19. press — to push
  20. fork — in a road
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — after costs
  23. press — newspapers
  24. board — a flat piece

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