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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: shower · date · patient · stick · present · press · pitch · mark

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pitch — completely
  3. present — the time now
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. present — a gift
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mark — a grade
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. press — to push
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. mark — a trace
  15. shower — rain
  16. date — the fruit
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. press — a publisher
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. shower — to wash
  22. press — newspapers
  23. present — there
  24. date — on the calendar

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