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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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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: pitch · snap · staff · tube · vault · pit · bat · press

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. tube — the underground
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. press — a publisher
  5. vault — a safe
  6. press — to push
  7. press — newspapers
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to click
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. pit — a hole
  12. staff — employees
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. staff — a stick
  16. tube — a container
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. staff — employees
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pitch — completely

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