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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: straw · stock · drill · perch · pitcher · press · race · rush

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. perch — the fish
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. drill — a practice
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. race — a contest
  8. drill — the tool
  9. rush — hurry
  10. stock — goods
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. race — the arms race
  15. stock — shares
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. race — humankind
  18. press — to push
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — newspapers
  23. drill — army training
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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