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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: can · press · bound · pitcher · pit · chip · season · staff

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. 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. press — a publisher
  2. bound — certain
  3. staff — employees
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. season — of the year
  7. can — a tin
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. press — to push
  11. pit — in a race
  12. staff — employees
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. season — in sport
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — tied together
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — a hole
  22. staff — a stick
  23. chip — to eat
  24. 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