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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: pitch · stand · rush · land · clip · press · face · snap

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. land — a country
  4. face — to confront
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. stand — to bear
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — completely
  9. face — to point toward
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. land — to come down
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. press — to push
  14. rush — hurry
  15. press — newspapers
  16. clip — for paper
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. face — part of the head
  19. land — ground
  20. press — a publisher
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. clip — a video
  24. snap — to click

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