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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: press · drill · mark · wind · chair · pitch · ground · saw

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. saw — the tool
  3. ground — crushed
  4. saw — the tool
  5. drill — army training
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. ground — the earth
  9. drill — a practice
  10. mark — a grade
  11. wind — moving air
  12. ground — a position
  13. press — a publisher
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. chair — a leader
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. drill — the tool
  19. press — to push
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. press — newspapers
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mark — a trace
  24. pitch — completely

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