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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 · ground · stock · ruler · game · pitch · hand · cue

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. hand — in cards
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. cue — a signal
  9. press — a publisher
  10. stock — shares
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cue — for pool
  16. game — a match
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. press — to push
  19. press — newspapers
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. pitch — completely
  22. hand — help
  23. ground — a position
  24. game — wild animals

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