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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. bat — the animal
  4. fine — all right
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. press — newspapers
  10. press — to push
  11. sharp — clever
  12. degree — from a university
  13. press — a publisher
  14. degree — temperature
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. degree — an amount
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. fine — high quality
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bat — for baseball

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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