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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: temple · pitch · rush · press · wound · trunk · bat · kid

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. press — to push
  3. wound — an injury
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. press — a publisher
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. pitch — completely
  10. wound — an injury
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — hurry
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kid — child
  18. press — newspapers
  19. bat — the animal
  20. kid — to tease
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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