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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 120 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: foot · band · press · bat · wake · rest · rush · pitcher

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a ring
  9. rest — a break
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. press — a publisher
  12. foot — a measure
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. press — newspapers
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. rush — hurry
  18. press — to push
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. rest — what's left

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