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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: club · ruler · press · hand · bat · pitcher · lean · charge

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. lean — to bend
  4. charge — electricity
  5. lean — thin
  6. press — to push
  7. hand — help
  8. club — a group
  9. bat — the animal
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. press — newspapers
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. press — a publisher
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. charge — in control
  18. hand — in cards
  19. charge — a price
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. club — for golf
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. club — for dancing

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