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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: chip · pass · board · pitch · last · press · court · land

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. land — a country
  3. press — a publisher
  4. court — of law
  5. land — to come down
  6. board — a committee
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. last — final
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pitch — completely
  12. chip — for betting
  13. press — to push
  14. court — for sport
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. court — of a king
  18. board — to get on
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — to eat
  21. press — newspapers
  22. last — to go on
  23. pass — a permit
  24. land — ground

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