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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: band · firm · land · mate · cap · pitch · pop · squash

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. squash — the sport
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — a partner
  6. band — a music group
  7. pop — to visit
  8. firm — decided
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. land — a country
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — a hat
  14. firm — a company
  15. pop — music
  16. pitch — completely
  17. cap — of ice
  18. mate — to breed
  19. pop — soda
  20. band — a ring
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — ground
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the vegetable

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