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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 · land · pass · present · pitch · chest · tube · press

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  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. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. press — newspapers
  4. press — to push
  5. land — ground
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. tube — the underground
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — a country
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. present — there
  14. pound — a weight
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. present — the time now
  19. pitch — completely
  20. chest — a box
  21. pass — a permit
  22. present — a gift
  23. tube — a container
  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