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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 · bore · bat · bank · can · lean · game · pit

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. can — to be able to
  3. game — wild animals
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. pit — in a race
  8. lean — thin
  9. press — a publisher
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. press — newspapers
  12. bat — the animal
  13. can — a tin
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bank — for money
  17. pit — a hole
  18. game — a match
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bank — for money
  22. press — to push
  23. can — a tin
  24. bat — for baseball

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