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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: present · pitcher · object · hand · press · mine · straw · dip

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. object — a thing
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. press — a publisher
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. press — to push
  10. present — there
  11. dip — to sink
  12. mine — for digging
  13. hand — help
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. hand — in cards
  16. present — a gift
  17. object — an aim
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. present — the time now
  21. object — to protest
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. mine — an explosive

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