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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 · rest · pitch · can · bound · snap · foot · march

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. press — to push
  3. rest — what's left
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. can — to be able to
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bound — tied together
  8. pitch — completely
  9. foot — a measure
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. march — music
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bound — certain
  16. press — newspapers
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. rest — a break
  19. can — a tin
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. press — a publisher
  22. snap — to click
  23. can — a tin
  24. march — the month

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