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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: wax · rest · press · pitch · kick · mark · board · track

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. board — to get on
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. wax — to grow
  7. track — to keep track
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. press — to push
  12. press — a publisher
  13. mark — a trace
  14. rest — a break
  15. board — a committee
  16. rest — what's left
  17. kick — in football
  18. track — a path
  19. mark — a grade
  20. rest — what's left
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. pitch — completely
  23. press — newspapers
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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