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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 · roll · pass · pitcher · track · race · saw · lash

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. track — to keep track
  6. press — to push
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. track — a song
  9. race — the arms race
  10. roll — a cake
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. race — humankind
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. press — a publisher
  18. race — a contest
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. pass — a permit
  21. press — newspapers
  22. track — a path
  23. roll — a list
  24. pass — to spend time

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