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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 116 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: stick · coach · pitch · tear · current · press · present · court

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. tear — to rip
  3. court — for sport
  4. pitch — completely
  5. tear — from crying
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — electric
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. press — newspapers
  12. present — the time now
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. press — to push
  16. present — there
  17. press — a publisher
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. court — of a king
  20. current — of water
  21. court — of law
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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