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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 · bulb · race · date · last · can · game · pitch

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. game — a match
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. race — the arms race
  5. bulb — for light
  6. press — a publisher
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. race — a contest
  9. press — to push
  10. race — humankind
  11. pitch — completely
  12. bulb — for light
  13. can — to be able to
  14. game — wild animals
  15. can — a tin
  16. date — the fruit
  17. press — newspapers
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. can — a tin
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. last — finally
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. last — to go on

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