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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: tear · pitcher · pit · pass · game · rest · spell · press

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — newspapers
  3. press — a publisher
  4. game — a match
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. spell — letters
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. pit — in a race
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — wild animals
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. tear — from crying
  17. spell — a short time
  18. pass — a permit
  19. spell — magic
  20. tear — to rip
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pit — a hole

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