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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 116 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: rule · straw · stand · cabinet · game · squash · pitch · band

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. stand — to bear
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — to crush
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. band — a ring
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. pitch — completely
  19. band — a music group
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — a law
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — a match
  24. squash — the vegetable

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