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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 120 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: nail · squash · press · cue · season · last · pitcher · calf

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. cue — for pool
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. cue — a hint
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — in sport
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — final
  11. press — newspapers
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. cue — a signal
  14. press — a publisher
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. last — finally
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. season — of the year
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. press — to push
  23. nail — on a finger
  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