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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 120 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: bore · pitch · chip · track · press · prune · net · mug

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. chip — to eat
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. press — to push
  7. mug — to rob
  8. track — a path
  9. bore — to drill
  10. track — to keep track
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. net — after costs
  13. press — a publisher
  14. net — for catching
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. track — a song
  17. chip — for betting
  18. press — newspapers
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. bore — to tire
  21. net — in sport
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. mug — a cup
  24. pitch — completely

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