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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: trunk · dip · pit · press · current · pitcher · season · pitch

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. season — in sport
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. dip — to sink
  11. current — of water
  12. pit — in a race
  13. current — electric
  14. press — newspapers
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. season — of the year
  18. pitch — completely
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. current — happening now
  21. pit — a hole
  22. press — a publisher
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. pitch — a sports field

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