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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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468
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: racket · game · lash · chip · prune · rash · pitch · press

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a match
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. chip — to eat
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rash — hasty
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. prune — to trim
  14. press — newspapers
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. pitch — completely
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. press — to push
  20. chip — for betting
  21. rash — a series
  22. prune — to trim
  23. press — a publisher
  24. chip — in a computer

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