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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: sharp · pitcher · kid · march · present · wound · press · rest

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. rest — what's left
  3. present — a gift
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. march — the month
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. rest — a break
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. press — a publisher
  11. march — music
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. rest — what's left
  14. march — the month
  15. present — the time now
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. kid — child
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. kid — to tease
  21. present — there
  22. sharp — clever
  23. wound — an injury
  24. press — to push

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