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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: press · clip · pitcher · mark · racket · bulb · present · rash

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. present — the time now
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. press — a publisher
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — hasty
  8. present — a gift
  9. clip — a video
  10. press — to push
  11. mark — a trace
  12. press — newspapers
  13. mark — a grade
  14. clip — to cut
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. clip — for paper
  17. present — there
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — of a plant

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