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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: bat · spring · pitch · current · rush · present · dip · mate

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. spring — the season
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. current — electric
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. spring — a coil
  10. present — there
  11. mate — a partner
  12. rush — hurry
  13. current — happening now
  14. dip — to sink
  15. bat — the animal
  16. mate — a friend
  17. spring — of water
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. current — of water
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — a gift

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