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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: coach · pitcher · dip · key · march · bark · press · rash

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. march — the month
  3. rash — hasty
  4. march — the month
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. dip — to sink
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. key — in music
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. key — the most important part
  15. press — newspapers
  16. rash — a series
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. march — music
  19. bark — to shout
  20. key — for a lock
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. press — to push
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. dip — to dunk

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