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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: game · press · bore · pit · squash · rash · tube · pitch

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bore — to drill
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — a series
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. press — a publisher
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bore — to tire
  13. pitch — completely
  14. tube — a container
  15. squash — the sport
  16. press — to push
  17. game — wild animals
  18. pit — a hole
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. pit — in a race
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. game — a match

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