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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: last · bear · club · present · roll · press · racket · bat

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. roll — a list
  5. bat — the animal
  6. present — there
  7. bear — the animal
  8. last — final
  9. club — for golf
  10. last — to go on
  11. bear — the animal
  12. roll — a cake
  13. present — the time now
  14. press — newspapers
  15. present — a gift
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. club — for dancing
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. club — a group
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. press — to push
  24. last — finally

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