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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: last · pit · press · row · bat · rest · season · racket

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. pit — a hole
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bat — the animal
  5. rest — a break
  6. season — of the year
  7. row — a line
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. press — newspapers
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. last — finally
  13. rest — what's left
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. rest — what's left
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. last — final
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. last — to go on
  23. season — in sport
  24. pit — in a race

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