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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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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: pound · stand · pitch · rule · mark · chest

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. stand — to bear
  5. rule — a law
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. rule — government
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. pound — a weight
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. chest — a box

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