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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stock · press · staff · game · pitch · cabinet · ground · land

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — to come down
  3. pitch — completely
  4. ground — crushed
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. land — a country
  8. game — a match
  9. stock — shares
  10. press — newspapers
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. staff — employees
  13. stock — goods
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. staff — employees
  16. ground — the earth
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. game — wild animals
  19. staff — a stick
  20. press — a publisher
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. press — to push
  24. ground — a position

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