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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: pitch · stem · game · mark · rule · band · firm · press

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. press — to push
  6. firm — steady
  7. press — newspapers
  8. game — wild animals
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. firm — a company
  12. band — a music group
  13. rule — government
  14. mark — a grade
  15. band — a ring
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. game — a match
  19. press — a publisher
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. mark — a trace
  22. pitch — completely
  23. firm — decided
  24. rule — a law

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