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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · pop · straw · present · press · fine · racket · march

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. present — a gift
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — to push
  5. march — music
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. pop — to visit
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. present — there
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. fine — high quality
  13. present — the time now
  14. pop — soda
  15. march — the month
  16. fine — all right
  17. pop — music
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. press — newspapers
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. march — the month
  24. fine — a penalty

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