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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 116 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 · drill · row · can · snap · shower · pitch · press

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. press — to push
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. drill — army training
  5. shower — to wash
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. row — a line
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. drill — a practice
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. press — a publisher
  16. can — a tin
  17. row — to paddle
  18. pitch — completely
  19. shower — rain
  20. press — newspapers
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. drill — the tool
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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