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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: chest · pitch · march · stand · press · bark · firm · suit

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. press — a publisher
  3. chest — a box
  4. march — music
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. firm — a company
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — completely
  12. press — newspapers
  13. suit — clothes
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. firm — decided
  16. press — to push
  17. suit — to fit
  18. suit — in cards
  19. stand — to bear
  20. chest — of your body
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. stand — for spectators

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