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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: press · bass · pitch · shower · bay · chip · tube · club

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bass — low music
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. club — for dancing
  10. chip — for betting
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — a container
  14. club — for golf
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. shower — to wash
  19. press — to push
  20. shower — rain
  21. club — a group
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. chip — to eat
  24. pitch — a sports field

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