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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 · bulb · lie · board · press · nail · pitch · band

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. board — to get on
  7. bulb — for light
  8. press — a publisher
  9. game — wild animals
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. bulb — for light
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. game — a match
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. press — to push
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. band — a music group
  21. press — newspapers
  22. pitch — completely
  23. lie — to recline
  24. board — a committee

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