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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 116 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 · pitch · kid · drill · press · lash · pit · staff

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. press — a publisher
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. can — to be able to
  5. kid — to tease
  6. can — a tin
  7. staff — employees
  8. drill — army training
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pit — in a race
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. press — newspapers
  14. staff — a stick
  15. staff — employees
  16. kid — child
  17. pit — a hole
  18. drill — a practice
  19. drill — the tool
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. press — to push
  23. pitch — completely
  24. can — a tin

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