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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 · drill · lie · press · club · bass · cue · coach

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. cue — for pool
  3. press — to push
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. drill — army training
  6. cue — a signal
  7. bass — the fish
  8. press — a publisher
  9. bass — low music
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. lie — to recline
  13. pitch — completely
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. club — for dancing
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cue — a hint
  19. press — newspapers
  20. club — for golf
  21. drill — a practice
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. club — a group

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