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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: stick · snap · press · board · file · pit · dip · spring

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. board — to get on
  4. board — a committee
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. press — to push
  8. press — newspapers
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. file — a line of people
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. file — a tool
  16. press — a publisher
  17. pit — a hole
  18. snap — to click
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. spring — the season
  21. dip — to sink
  22. spring — a coil
  23. file — a document
  24. spring — of water

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