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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: rush · spring · press · straw · pound · pitch · pass · kick

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. press — to push
  3. pitch — completely
  4. spring — of water
  5. pound — a weight
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pass — a permit
  10. press — newspapers
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. spring — a coil
  18. kick — in football
  19. press — a publisher
  20. spring — the season
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. pitch — a sports field

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