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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: bat · race · present · press · bulb · leaves · straw · pitcher

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — the time now
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. press — newspapers
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. press — to push
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. race — humankind
  13. present — there
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. race — a contest
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bat — the animal
  18. press — a publisher
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. race — the arms race
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bulb — for light
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. straw — dry grass

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