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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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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 · bowl · firm · fall · saw · rest · band · press

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. band — a music group
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — what's left
  6. firm — decided
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. fall — the season
  9. rest — a break
  10. fall — to drop
  11. firm — steady
  12. press — a publisher
  13. firm — a company
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. saw — the tool
  18. fall — to drop
  19. press — to push
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. saw — the tool
  24. press — newspapers

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