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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: hand · dip · press · staff · pitch · mine · firm · board

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. press — a publisher
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. mine — for digging
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. hand — help
  9. staff — employees
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. board — a committee
  12. hand — in cards
  13. firm — decided
  14. press — newspapers
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. pitch — completely
  17. press — to push
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. firm — steady
  22. firm — a company
  23. staff — a stick
  24. board — to get on

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