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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: bat · squash · scale · board · hide · press · mark · pitch

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. pitch — completely
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. board — to get on
  6. press — to push
  7. press — newspapers
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. press — a publisher
  13. bat — the animal
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. board — a committee
  16. scale — size or range
  17. squash — the sport
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. mark — a trace
  22. squash — to crush
  23. scale — in music
  24. mark — a grade

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