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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: pit · band · game · press · pitcher · dip · racket · season

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. dip — to sink
  3. pit — a hole
  4. press — to push
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. game — wild animals
  7. press — a publisher
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. season — in sport
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. game — a match
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. band — a ring
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. press — newspapers
  23. pit — in a race
  24. season — of the year

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