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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: toast · press · wake · row · racket · bass · kick · pitcher

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. press — to push
  4. bass — low music
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. wake — a trail
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. bass — the fish
  14. press — newspapers
  15. row — a line
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. row — to paddle
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. kick — in football
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. toast — bread
  24. press — a publisher

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