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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · perch · land · net · stand · toast · press · pitch

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. land — a country
  3. land — ground
  4. net — for catching
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. press — a publisher
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stand — to bear
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. land — to come down
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. perch — the fish
  15. net — in sport
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. net — after costs
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pitch — completely
  21. press — newspapers
  22. toast — bread
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  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