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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: pitch · press · club · safe · rock · wave · drill · ground

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. club — for golf
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. club — a group
  10. pitch — completely
  11. press — a publisher
  12. club — for dancing
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — a practice
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — the earth
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. rock — a stone
  20. ground — crushed
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. press — newspapers
  23. drill — the tool
  24. press — to push

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