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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: press · bound · chest · pass · date · season · bat · racket

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. bat — the animal
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. season — of the year
  9. chest — a box
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. press — a publisher
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — the fruit
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bound — certain
  21. press — to push
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. press — newspapers
  24. season — in sport

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