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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 120 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: rush · cell · rule · board · net · ground · press · pitch

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. net — for catching
  4. cell — in biology
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. board — to get on
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — a position
  11. pitch — completely
  12. net — in sport
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. net — after costs
  15. press — to push
  16. cell — a phone
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. press — newspapers
  20. ground — the earth
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. press — a publisher
  23. board — a committee
  24. rule — government

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