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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: hand · pitch · press · rest · current · roll

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. current — happening now
  6. hand — help
  7. roll — a list
  8. current — of water
  9. pitch — completely
  10. press — a publisher
  11. current — electric
  12. rest — what's left
  13. press — newspapers
  14. press — to push
  15. hand — in cards
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — a break
  18. roll — a cake

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