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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: land · leaves · track · rule · present · pitch · press · bound

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. press — to push
  3. track — to keep track
  4. rule — a law
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. bound — certain
  8. present — there
  9. land — ground
  10. track — a song
  11. rule — government
  12. track — a path
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — completely
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. present — the time now
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — newspapers
  19. bound — obliged
  20. present — a gift
  21. land — a country
  22. bound — tied together
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. land — to come down

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