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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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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: pitch · pass · press · dip · bay · racket · stem · bore

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. press — to push
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. press — a publisher
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pitch — completely
  10. bore — to tire
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bore — to drill
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. dip — to sink
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. press — newspapers
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — to come from

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