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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: bowl · stem · lie · kick · pitch · pitcher · press · bat

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. lie — to recline
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. press — newspapers
  7. kick — in football
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. press — a publisher
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bat — the animal
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — to come from
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. bowl — a football final

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