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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: march · wave · game · press · pitch · can · cap · roll

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. roll — a cake
  4. game — wild animals
  5. roll — a list
  6. march — the month
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — to push
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. pitch — completely
  14. march — music
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. march — the month
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. press — a publisher
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. cap — of ice
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — a match
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — a hat

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