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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: press · bound · chip · game · stick · wind · pitch · wound

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. press — newspapers
  6. bound — obliged
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bound — tied together
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. press — a publisher
  13. game — a match
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bound — certain
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — to eat
  19. pitch — completely
  20. wind — moving air
  21. chip — for betting
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. press — to push
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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