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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: tube · rule · track · pitch · press · bat · trunk · fan

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. rule — a law
  3. pitch — completely
  4. tube — the underground
  5. track — to keep track
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. track — a song
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. bat — the animal
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. rule — government
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. press — a publisher
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. press — newspapers
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. track — a path
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. press — to push

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