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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.

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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: pit · bowl · squash · rush · file · rest · press · straw

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. press — a publisher
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. pit — a hole
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. squash — the sport
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. file — a line of people
  10. press — newspapers
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pit — in a race
  14. rest — a break
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. file — a document
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. file — a tool
  22. rush — hurry
  23. press — to push
  24. squash — to crush

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